


Brighton Bound

by cafephan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Phan and Zalfie friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-03-18 16:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3575316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafephan/pseuds/cafephan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a series of frequent Skype calls, Zoe and Alfie invite Dan and Phil to stay with them in Brighton, as collabs are long overdue, but Zoe and Alfie have an ulterior motive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Skyping with Zalfie

“So will you come to stay for, like, a week?” Zoe asked hopefully, eyes evidently gleaming even through the webcam. She rolled her eyes playfully at hearing Alfie ending his vlog in the other room, before shifting her attention wholly back to the two boys she was trying to convince.

“We’ll have a look at train times now” Phil replied warmly, causing Zoe to clap her hands loudly and repetitively, so much so Nala jumped up from Zoe’s lap and growled softly.

“You’ll have to brace yourself for this one” she smiled as the little pug settled back down to her resting position.

Dan had by now opened multiple train-ticket sites on his laptop, since Phil’s was being used for the Skype call. 

“Are they coming?” Alfie’s voice faintly called from the opposite side of the room, and Zoe turned her body slightly so she could see him.

“Ask them yourself” she replied with a smirk and a wink to the boys on the other side of the webcam.

The sound of footsteps padding across the room gradually got louder as the sofa dipped beside Zoe and Alfie’s head peered in from the left side, and Zoe shifted the laptop so they were both comfortably in shot.

“If you do come, you’ll be sharing a room… is that okay?” Alfie asked, the tone of the call suddenly becoming significantly more serious.

Dan and Phil exchanged a look, one which the other two could not decipher.

“Um.. I suppose so?” Dan replied warily, and Phil shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time they were forced to sleep in the same room or even the same bed.

A few seconds of silence passed before Zoe elbowed Alfie in the ribs and he burst out into laughter. 

“I’m only joking, we have plenty of room” he assured the boys, and Zoe nodded in agreement.

“Does that mean I’ll actually be able to see Zoella’s background? In real life?” Dan asked sarcastically in a deliberate heightened pitch and intonated ending.

“Not with that attitude, you can stay in the room we haven’t decorated yet” Zoe quipped, with a playful smile.

“I’m hurt, miss Sugg” Dan clutched a hand to his heart dramatically, causing the ombre-headed girl to giggle.

“Is that the time?” she asked suddenly, pointing to something on the screen then looking to Alfie, who nodded.

“I’m normally asleep two hours before now” she informed Dan and Phil, who already knew the fact, due to being avid viewers of both Zoe and Alfie’s daily vlogs.

“And we have approximately another five hours in the browsing position before we sleep” Phil joked, and everyone laughed.

“Text us when you’ve found times and tickets, yeah?” Zoe asked the two, in between yawns.

Phil nodded with a smile, and Dan gave a thumbs up, still engrossed in finding a fairly priced train journey for he and his best friend.

The Skype call then ended after a round of waves and goodbyes, and Phil gently closed his laptop, letting out a yawn himself.

“Well, they do say it’s infectious” he stated when Dan looked at him with a raised eyebrow – them going to sleep as early as midnight was practically unheard of.

“So what have you found?” Phil asked his best friend, leaning his head to read over Dan’s shoulder.

“Why is everything so expensive?” Dan huffed in annoyance, before switching to another of the seven tabs he had open of train fares.

“It’s not like we can’t afford it, let’s be honest. We can afford to spend a hundred for a return, especially when we’ll be staying there for a week” Phil offered helpfully, trying to comfort his slightly tight-pocketed best friend.

“Should I just book it?” Dan piped up a few minutes later, after Phil had finished tidying around him.

“Yes” he answered simply, slightly relieved that the whole debacle would be over soon.

Dan’s finger hovered over the button for a second before he pressed it down with a little more force than was necessary.

“Excited for Brighton, are we?” Phil smiled as Dan closed his laptop, flopping back on the sofa.

“I’m hungry” he groaned not too long after, and Phil rolled his eyes. 

“Then eat, I’m not going to feed you” 

Dan sighed and rolled off the sofa a bit too quickly, too quickly to find his feet in time, and ended up making contact with the floor face-down.

“Ow” his voice was muffled due to his position, but it was still enough to make Phil laugh hysterically.

As funny as it was, Phil couldn’t leave him there, even though he would get himself up not a minute later. He pulled Dan up by his arms, and he lost his footing again, resulting in the two being only centimetres apart. 

_Neither hated it, quite the opposite actually, but neither dared admit it._

Dan cleared his throat in embarrassment and Phil let go of his arms instantaneously, blushing an intense shade of scarlet. 

“I, um, I’m gonna go to.. yeah, I’m gonna go” Phil mumbled, tripping over his words as he grabbed his laptop and hastily made his way to his room, but not before a single word was uttered that made him stop in his tracks.

“Phil?” Dan’s voice called from the lounge where their close encounter had just occurred. 

Phil spun around on his heels and prayed his much too pasty complexion had returned. He couldn’t let Dan see him like this, it wouldn’t be obvious why he was blushing, would it?

“Yeah?” he replied, and a slightly rosy-cheeked Dan stood in the middle of the lounge, scratching the back of his neck. Shockingly, he didn't seem phased by the neck-touching at all. But then again, it was his own touch.

“Uh… nothing. Sorry” he muttered before sitting back down on the sofa and placing his laptop in its rightful place.

“Try not to have another accident!” Phil called before he walked into his room, hearing something resembling a sarcastic response as he did so. 

“Why did I have to do that” he spoke harshly to himself as he placed his laptop on the floor and jumped onto his bed, face settling safely into his pillow.


	2. Journey with Zoe

~ Two days later (sorry for the annoying time skip but it’s relevant) ~

 

“Dan, are you ready? We need to leave for the train station in ten minutes, Zoe’s meeting us at Brighton train station” Phil’s voice called softly from the hallway, and Dan shouted back in understanding.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t running late for once. Both he and Phil had packed the night before, bringing far too much stuff for the two of them for only a week. But, this trip to Brighton would be the only kind of holiday they would get before their free days at YouTube conventions, which were at least six months away. 

With pre-planning, Dan didn’t have the option of straightening his hair, as the utensils were already packed in one of his bags. So, he opted for a hoodie, which was a travel essential anyhow. It was a win/win situation, but he still ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to abolish any stand-out curls.

He grabbed his bags and kicked his door open, not having a free hand or even a free finger to open the door the traditional way. Phil was already in the lounge, bags littered at his feet and tapping away at his phone.

“Are you capable of playing any other character but your own?” Dan smirked as he dropped his bags and began tapping Phil’s phone screen erratically, causing the Emo Goose simulation to be hit by an oncoming car.

“Rude. And I would be happy to play as Doge, but someone forbade it, didn’t they?” Phil sang and Dan grinned as they both got their bags and one of them dug for their keys.  
“Are you sure you’ve switched all your sockets off?” Phil asked, and Dan rolled his eyes.

“Yes mum, I’m sure” he replied monotonously, the same routine occurring that is always a reality whenever the two leave the flat for more than a day.  
“So that glow from your room that looks suspiciously like your amber lamp is what, blinding sunlight at four in the morning?” Phil leaned against the door knowingly, nodding towards Dan’s room.

His obliviousness, his forgetfulness… all things that Phil loved about Dan.

Deciding not to give Phil the satisfaction of the ‘I told you so’ look, Dan stalked back into his room and switched the lamp off at the socket – not that he remembered turning it on in the first place – and walked back into the lounge, where Phil was still in the same position as before.

“Let’s go” Dan announced before Phil had a chance to gloat about being right. He hated to lose.

“After you” Phil held open the door, still grinning in the knowledge he had won their early-morning dispute.

***

A much too long (for Phil) journey later – which consisted of Dan talking at Phil, not with, Formula 1 being just about the only interest the two do not share and Dan just had to talk about it for hours on end – the friends were gathering their far too many bags and preparing to stroll off the train in search of their petite female friend. 

“Who knew the half four in the morning train would be so busy” Dan commented, as he and Phil struggled to get onto the platform in one piece due to the hustle and bustle of the very early morning commute.

Phil just shrugged and continued searching for Zoe, which was a hopeless task in a crowd as large as the one that was surrounding them.

“Let’s go stand over there, so we’re out of the crowd” Phil suggested, and Dan nodded as if waiting to follow Phil’s lead. 

They made their way over to a seemingly deserted area of the platform, and it was soon understandable why.

“No signal, typical. We’re stranded here with nowhere to go” Dan complained, and Phil gently shoved him into the wall – it was all friendly banter. It’s not like he’d seen couples do the same thing before they come back to an amorous embrace… not at all.

“Dan! Phil!” they heard a female voice call out their names, and they both looked around in confusion before Zoe came speeding around the corner, well, as fast as she could in chunky heels. 

She hugged them in turn and beamed at them, initial greetings spoken with brimming excitement and anticipation.

“I’m just parked out here, we’ll go get your stuff in the- how much did you pack?” Zoe marvelled at the amount of luggage the two males had brought with them, then laughed heartily.

“Not gonna lie, I do the same thing. Alfie and Louise always tell me off for it” she added with another huge smile, before grabbing two random bags and heading out of the train station towards the car park, Dan and Phil following behind her quickly.

It took around ten minutes to successfully fit all of the luggage into Zoe’s convertible, the majority of the more spacious bags in a complex Tetris-type situation in the boot of the car and the rest of the bags spread around the passenger seat area and Dan and Phil’s laps on the back seats. Yep, piling everything into Zoe’s little car really put things in perspective, they definitely overpacked.

“I don’t know if Alfie’s going to be in when we get there, he was out taking Nala for a walk in the Lanes when I left” she informed the London-dwellers, who were in utter awe of the picturesque landscape of Brighton almost immediately.

Zoe laughed upon seeing their awe-struck expressions. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I was the same when I first moved” she smiled fondly at the memory, then giggled again as her passengers continued turning their heads in a million different directions, adamant not to miss a single sight.

It was a pleasant drive to Zoe and Alfie’s mansion-like home - compared to Dan and Phil’s flat, anyway. 

“And now comes the real challenge, getting it all back out again” Zoe laughed as she got out of the car and walked around to the boot, her guests following suit.

“Everyone ready?” she asked, the three of them stood at different positions of the boot holding a variety of randomly placed bags. Dan and Phil nodded, laughing to themselves at how Zoe could make something as mundane as getting suitcases out of a car fun.

“Go!” she shouted and all three of them pulled their bags out successfully, the remaining cases smacking against each other as they fell to the bottom of the boot.

“I’ll get these ones, you guys get yours from inside, and be careful as you do” Zoe smiled as she began taking some bags into the house.

“I didn’t imagine it to look like this” Dan gasped as he stood staring at his home for the next week, and Phil came to stand beside him, dropping the bag he was holding.

“How many floors is it?” he asked, too lazy to count.

“Five…” Dan replied breathlessly, still wonderstruck at the size of the house they would be staying in.

“Jesus Christ” Phil gasped, not used to houses of such a size.

“You rang?” Dan whispered in Phil’s ear, resting his head on the older’s shoulder.

“Nerd” Phil grinned as he hit Dan on the leg with one of his suitcases and began taking them inside, leaving Dan staring after him in amusement.


	3. Trending Worldwide

“So what can I get you? I baked some cookies earlier so they’re in the kitchen if you want, or I can-“

_“Zoe” _Phil cut off the gushing head of the house, whom laughed upon realising her babbling and mouthed an apology.__

“But if you do need anything just let me or Alfie know” she added quickly before sitting back into the sofa and diverting her attention back to her phone. 

Until a few minutes later.

“So when was the last time we saw each other? Playlist? Summer in the City?” she asked, looking to the ceiling and looking deep in thought, evidently incapable of not speaking to her house guests, genuinely interested in them.

“One of them, I suppose” Dan chuckled, and Phil nodded, not knowing either.

“If I’m being honest, I forget these events, they all get mixed up in here” Zoe stated, flattening her top-knot down into her head.

“It was too long anyway” Phil smiled, and Zoe nodded quickly.

“We’ve been meaning to ask you to stay for ages now, but things kinda got a bit hectic” Zoe looked guilty as she looked to the bookshelf next to the TV, her and Alfie’s books displaying proudly next to each other. 

“Same here, to be honest, it’s only this month we’ve been able to do anything but work” Dan replied, and Zoe’s guilty eyed expression softened dramatically. Phil sent Dan a glare, but Dan dismissed it. Sure, they had the gaming channel now, and new merch ideas to come up with, but with them only on the radio once a month now they were left with a lot more free time. Not that any of them did anything useful with it. They typically just sat beside each other on the sofa, passing the occasional flirtatious comment and sharing tumblr posts they find funny.

_Too bad neither know how the other feels… The flirtatious comments were more than that, a lot more meaning._

They sat catching up with Zoe for a good half hour, and as much as Dan never thought he’d say it, he actually didn’t mind being disconnected from the Internet. 

“I’m hooooome!” a voice called through the house, and Zoe grinned. Immediately, the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps made their way from the front door to the living room, and soon enough Nala was bounding across the wooden panelling towards Zoe, and made herself at home on her lap.

It took the pug a few minutes to notice Dan and Phil, but when she did she sat up on Zoe’s lap, her head cocked to the side as she stared at the two that she didn’t recognise.  
Eventually, she jumped down from Zoe’s lap and strutted to the opposite end of the sofa and nuzzled against both males’ arms before safely wedging in between them, falling asleep only a mere minute afterwards.

“Well that’s adorable” Zoe commented, giggling as she pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the moment.

“Smile!” she called as Dan and Phil both smiled widely, the picture being posted to Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr a split second later.

_‘@ZozeeBo: Three of my favourites #datpuglifeftdanandphil [photo link]’_

“What the hell is that hashtag” Dan laughed as the notification came through on his phone, hearing Phil’s phone chime to signal the same thing.

Zoe placed her hands on her hips in mock offence. “I think it’ll trend, I’ll have you know” 

“The mighty Zoella has a point, Twitter’s going insane” Phil confirmed, wide-eyed, as he showed Dan and Zoe the current number four worldwide trend. How it managed to trend worldwide that fast is a mystery.

“Dare you check your mentions and my Instagram comments?” Zoe grinned, as both Dan and Phil shook their heads as erratically as they could.

_‘@PointlessBlog: RT: @ZozeeBo: Three of my favourites #datpuglifeftdanandphil [photo link]’_

Too wrapped up in conversation, neither Dan or Phil noticed their phones chime again.

“I’m not ready for that minefield, thankyou” Phil joked, and Dan smiled, not really having anything to add, as the metaphor was very much a reality. 

“Then let me,” a familiar voice announced, as Alfie entered the living room, making his way over to the sofa to lay beside Zoe.

Alfie got out his phone and dramatically swiped it a few times before he and Zoe looked at either Twitter or Instagram, it was hard for Dan and Phil to tell. Occasionally the couple would have outbursts of laughter, and other times they would sneak a look at their guests.

“Can we help you?” Dan asked with a raised eyebrow one time when Zoe and Alfie attempted to be sneaky.

“We were just wondering how you two are ‘so married’” Alfie read from his phone, and Zoe nodded.

Dan and Phil exchanged a look before laughing, and Zoe and Alfie quickly joined in.

“Although this lovely fanart of you and Dil appeared in my mentions a few times” Zoe turned her phone around to show Dan and Phil what she was talking about, an exact replica of where and how they were sat in the picture with Nala (how they were still sitting, actually) except instead of the little black pug, their Sim son was wedged between them. How could they have made a replica of the photo and animated it so fast??

“That was quick, though” Alfie pointed out, announcing that ‘#datpuglifeftdanandphil’ was now the number one worldwide trend.

“Our fans, love them” Zoe mused, as she and Alfie high-fived. It was only then the two guests realised that Alfie had retweeted Zoe earlier to get their trend ranked higher.  
“Do you want a Twitter war? Because we’ll bite, Zalfie” Dan asked, determined, with a warm smile, and Phil nodded confidently beside him.

“Bring it, Phan” Alfie teased, prompting Dan to open his Twitter app and Phil to fumble around in his pocket to retrieve his phone.

As much as they wanted to, neither could let on how good it felt to be called Phan, a collective, by someone they knew in real life. Zoe and Alfie would be at the top of the list of people they’d tell if they were ever a couple… one of them just needed to step up. 

“What to tweet, what to tweet, what to tweet” Dan pondered as he tapped his chin, and he soon felt Phil’s hot breath fanning his ear.

Zoe and Alfie watched in amusement as the two boys whispered to each other and giggled amongst themselves, so much like a couple that they would think they were, if they saw them together in the street, and were strangers. Zoe smiled at Alfie and they nodded at each other knowingly, before waiting patiently until Dan and Phil had decided on their revenge hashtag.

_‘@danisnotonfire: I think we should all know that I am staying at the #unaestheticZalfiePad so think of me this week’_

_‘@AmazingPhil: staying at the #unaestheticZalfiePad this week… tumblr would not be proud’_

Zoe and Alfie’s phones both chimed twice consecutively, and they laughed at the rivalling hashtag. 

“Ours was nice!” Zoe pouted jokily.

“You didn’t state the rules, it’s just whoever gets the most tweets about their hashtag in 24 hours, deal?” Phil asked, determination sparkling in his eyes.

“Deal” Zoe replied, and placed her hand in the middle of the sofa, and Alfie followed suit. Dan and Phil did the same, and the Twitter war was then official.

“Oh, and the losers pay for our fancy dinner tomorrow night” Alfie added, and Zoe chuckled. 

“No take-backsies, the reservation’s booked already” Zoe told the boys whose jaws had dropped when Alfie showed them a picture of the mentioned restaurant, and the menu on the website.

“Wait” Dan interjected Zoe before she or Alfie could add anything more for the losers of the deal to do. 

_‘@danisnotonfire: RT: @AmazingPhil: staying at the #unaestheticZalfiePad this week… tumblr would not be proud’_

_‘@AmazingPhil: RT: @danisnotonfire: I think we should all consider that I am staying at the #unaestheticZalfiePad so think of me this week’_

“Sneaky, very sneaky” Alfie smirked as he looked down at his phone screen upon hearing the chime.

“Why? You did it” Dan quipped, and Alfie laughed.

“But I didn’t tweet in the first place” he defended himself.

“Then tweet, they might be winning in a minute!” Zoe exclaimed with a wink to Dan and Phil, who laughed at the friendly competitiveness in the room.

_‘@PointlessBlog: #datpuglifeftdanandphil aka my and Zoe’s suffering for the next week… send nice thoughts xxx’_

“Harsh, man, harsh” Dan commented as he saw the tweet, but the intonated laugh at the end of the utterance gave away his joking undertone completely.

_‘@ZozeeBo: RT: @PointlessBlog: #datpuglifeftdanandphil aka my and Zoe’s suffering for the next week… send nice thoughts xxx’_

“Everyone’s going to think we have nothing better to do with our lives than tweet each other rather than talk in real life” Zoe laughed heartily, and the others joined in soon enough.

“To be honest, do we?” Phil asked, and Zoe directed her gaze to the floor in an attempt to look deep in thought.

“Nope” she concluded.

_‘@SprinkleofGlitr: @ZozeeBo @PointlessBlog @danisnotonfire @AmazingPhil can you all not? Or I’ll be forced to come there myself… these notifications have woken me up three times now! ;) ‘_

_‘@ZozeeBo: @SprinkleofGlitr: #bringitchummy xx’_

“Quick everyone turn off your WiFi before she comes on the warpath” Zoe joked as she locked her phone, whilst Dan, Phil and Alfie were scrolling through their respective hashtags.

“We’re still winning” Alfie told Zoe, and she chanted ‘yes’ dramatically.

“Only by…” Dan began as he scrambled to find out the quantity.

“Three thousand” Phil finished, and Dan patted him on the shoulder.

They even finish each other’s sentences… kind of. If only they realised the other wanted more. A lot more.

“Right, it’s eight a.m and i’m bored, what can we do” Alfie announced, throwing his phone on his lap and looking between Zoe and Dan and Phil.

“We don’t live here, it’s not our forte” Dan replied, holding his hands up, and Phil nodded in agreement.

“Well I don’t know about you guys but I could get a few more hours or two” Zoe suggested, yawning to prove the fact.

“Me too, I’ll just let this one out first” Alfie replied, calling Nala into the garden, which she hesitantly did, eventually. She was resistant to wedging out from in between Dan and Phil.

“Do you know which your rooms are?” Zoe asked politely, and both boys nodded, remembering from taking their many, many bags up there not too long ago.

“I’ll see you later, then” she smiled, hugging them both in turn before ascending the stairs.

“Are you tired?” Phil asked, leaning his head on the back of the sofa, evidently tired himself.

“I could go for a couple of hours” Dan agreed, and both boys ascended the stairs themselves and into their allocated rooms. 

“I’ll see you later, then” Dan spoke, after both were stood awkwardly in the hallway just staring at each other.

With no warning, Phil had his arms around Dan, wrapping him in a tight hug.

“A quick little bear hug for my Bear” he whispered before unlooping his arms and letting them hang down either side of his body.

Again, they were stood centimetres apart, just happy in each other’s company.

Perfect kissing distance. All one of them had to do was lean in just the tiniest bit…

Neither noticed Alfie walking into his own room, consequently witnessing the whole thing, a huge smile present on his face.

“Have a nice nap” Phil spoke up first, kissing Dan on the cheek softly before slipping inside his room beside Dan’s, leaving the younger in a state of temporary paralysis, just like the time in their flat not too long ago… 

For the exact same reason.


	4. Afternoon, Sleepy

“Afternoon, sleepy” Phil’s eyes snapped open to be met with the chocolatey brown he’d grown so accustomed to over the years. He soon realised that Dan was crouched right above him, practically laying on top of him, actually. He gasped at the initial shock of being in such a close proximity to Dan, but his heart-rate soon returned to a normal pace.

Although it would be so easy for them to kiss…

“What the hell are you doing?” Phil asked, stretching out his limbs in an attempt to feel more awake. The clock on the bedside table read 12:17, he had slept nearly four and a half hours, what a terrible guest he was for Zoe and Alfie.

“Just came to check on you… you were sleeping. You’re cute when you sleep” Dan shrugged casually, as if the words he had just spoken didn’t make Phil want to jump on him right there and then.

“How long were you there?” Phil asked, as he began digging through his many bags in pursuit of straighteners, before realising that, to save space (which worked perfectly), he and Dan had decided to share Dan’s straighteners. He sighed and stood back up to face his best friend, who was still sat on the bed, leaning on his knees.

“Just an hour” he grinned, and Phil’s eyes widened.

“I’m just kidding, calm down” Dan added hastily, before clambering off the bed and walking over to where Phil was standing. 

“What were you looking for?” he asked, sneaking a peek at the bags Phil was digging through in pursuit of an answer.

“St-straighteners” Phil stuttered a reply, his speech halted with again being so close to Dan. It was a hindrance, it truly was.

“But I like your bed hair” Dan pouted, ruffling Phil’s hair as he did so, then retreated his hand before Phil could swat it away.

“I’ll go get them, wait here, little Philly” he sang, before smiling and skipping – yes, skipping – out of the room and into his.

With possibly one of the worst sense of timings, Zoe sauntered into the doorway, leaning against it and grinning at the still crimson-cheeked Phil.

“Nice nap?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah, you could say that” Phil replied, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Okay, well, if you want to get dressed, Alfie and I were thinking of taking you both to the pier? I’m a sucker for the touristy stuff, and any excuse to go I snap up straight away” she suggested, and Phil nodded immediately, craving the arcades and terrible-for-you food.

“By the way, have you seen Dan?” she added, looking into the doorway of Dan’s empty room. 

That little shit.

“He was supposed to be getting me his straighteners from his room, but this is obviously his idea of a prank” Phil huffed, moving his fringe to the side, as it had flopped into the middle.

“Oh, he’s probably downstairs with Alfie then. But you can use my straighteners if you want? There’s a pair right here in your room” Zoe nodded towards a chest of drawers behind Phil, and he thanked her wholeheartedly. 

“Just come down when you’re ready” she said politely before heading downstairs, and muffled laughter and conversation a few minutes later was heard from downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little chapter!
> 
> Go show this story some love on cafephan.tumblr.com if you'd be so kind xx


	5. Home Alone?

It wasn’t like Dan to be so impulsive, he was usually in control of his feelings, and could refrain from doing anything that might prove them. But he needed to speak to Phil, he was bored and wanted to know if he was awake yet.

And when he saw Phil asleep, curled into a ball, eyes gracefully shut and breathing slowly, peacefully, he couldn’t help but take the sight in. He truly was beautiful, and it killed Dan a little more every day that he couldn’t tell him that.

As he showered, he reflected on what had happened not too long ago with Phil, and how he may have taken things a bit too far.  
‘You’re cute when you sleep’ why did he say that? Why?

He shook the annoyance out of his head as he shampooed and conditioned his hair, and used some of Phil’s raspberry shower gel that he had sneaked in one of his bags without Phil’s knowledge, he always seemed to buy it as part of their weekly online shopping.

After spending a successful twenty minutes in the shower, Dan dried himself off and got dressed, leaving the bathroom when he was satisfied with all but his hair.  
“Where’ve you been, Howell?” a voice asked, and Dan spun around to be met with Alfie, who was grinning.

“Gee, I don’t know, where could I possibly have been?” Dan replied sarcastically, squeezing his fringe of all the water droplets, which dotted the carpet at Alfie’s feet.  
“Stupid question, I know. But here’s another; did you make a certain ‘amazing’ friend of yours a little happy?” Alfie asked, his grin getting wider.

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about” Dan stuttered before running into his room, away from Alfie’s all too infectious laugh.

He knew that Zoe and Alfie were planning on taking them to the pier, and decided to speed up the getting ready process so he wouldn’t keep everyone waiting, although he was relieved to hear Phil’s soft humming in the next room.

Dan was surprised to see Phil hadn’t snuck into his room whilst he was showering to get the straighteners, but they were still at the bottom of Dan’s suitcase like before.

Maybe Phil was trying the au naturale hair look today? Dan hoped so.

“You keep messing everything up” Dan told himself as he began straightening his hair, frown lines everpresent on his forehead.

He didn’t notice Phil walking by his room at that moment…

***

“Afternoon, Phil! Pancake?” Zoe chirped as she held out a plate, a perfectly cooked pancake laying on it. 

Phil accepted it gratefully and made his way to the table, where Alfie was already digging in.

Zoe and Alfie had every condiment under the sun, and to be anything but adventurous Phil opted for plain syrup, his lactose intolerance proving an obstacle as he stared longingly at all the dairy-based options laid on the table.

“Why are you staring at me?” Phil asked Alfie, who had now finished his pancakes.

“Nothing, nothing” he replied, before taking his plate over to the sink, exchanging a knowing look with Zoe, whom smiled sweetly.

“I was thinking we’ll set off around one?” she asked the two boys at the table, who both nodded in agreement of a suitable time.

“If someone ever gets out of his room” Phil joked, pointing to the ceiling.

Alfie and Zoe smiled at each other again, before both returning their gazes to Phil.

“Actually, could you go get him, Phil? Alfie and I have to take Nala out then for a little walk around the block” Zoe asked, and Alfie nodded.

“B-both of you?” he asked, apprehensive of being in the same room as Dan after last time. Not that he didn’t like it, he would just be upset if he didn’t get the same flirty treatment.

“Yeah, she’s more likely to do her business and tire herself out if we’re both there” Alfie answered, and it was Zoe’s turn to nod. 

“Uh, yeah, sure. I’ll make sure he’s up before you’re back” Phil smiled, and as soon as he finished his answer Zoe and Alfie were both in front of the coat rack, donning their outdoor attire at a confusingly fast pace. Alfie put on Nala’s coat so quickly that the pug didn’t know how to respond, so just stood in a frozen stance, even after the coat was on.  
“You’re the best. Get your money ready for the slot machines!” Zoe called happily, her voice echoing through the house as the Sugg/Deyes clan made their way out, leaving Dan and Phil home alone.

As Zoe and Alfie reached the end of the street, they turned to face each other and giggled.

“Do you think it’s going to work?” Zoe asked.

“It’s going to work, we’re matchmakers” Alfie smirked, and Zoe hit him on the arm, before they continued their short walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou for all the love on this fic so far, I honestly never expected it to get any reads at all, so this is unbelievable for me to comprehend, people actually liking it and such :)
> 
> For this and other works go check out my phanfiction blog; cafephan.tumblr.com xx


	6. Sleepy Antics

Phil wasn’t sure why he was so nervous as he stood in front of Dan’s allocated bedroom, there wasn’t a logical reason. 

“Just knock on the door” he mumbled to himself, evidently a little too loudly, as the door swung open a few seconds later and a startled Dan stood in its wake.

“Why were you giving yourself a pep talk about knocking on the door? It’s not going to kill you, it’s not one of your rabid cacti” Dan joked before walking past Phil into the corridor, and leaning against the glass banister, staring at him.

“I see you had no trouble straightening _your _hair then” Phil quipped, emphasis on the word ‘your’, casting a glance into Dan’s room and spotting the straighteners cooling on the floor.__

“You knew where they were, you should’ve gotten them” Dan shrugged, a smirk appearing.

“I didn’t want to invade your privacy” Phil replied.

“Please, drop the innocent act, we’re not on camera right now,” Dan chuckled before continuing, “You’re the one that always brings… precautions to YouTube events” 

Phil felt his cheeks heat up slightly, it wasn’t his fault that he came prepared for every eventuality, there’s always lots of parties, lots of chances to get drunk and lots of chances for things to happen that he’d want to be prepared for. If he’d lost his inhibitions and got caught up in the moment.

“Yet you’re the only one that seems to use them” Phil shot back, causing Dan’s cheeks to blush slightly, before both began laughing hysterically.

Neither mentioned the reason Dan ‘used them’ was to see if it would protect various objects in the microwave.

“Anyway, Zoe and Alfie wanted me to check on you” 

“What, so you can get an extra tip for punctuality? You’re not that much older than me, Jesus stop acting like my babysitter” Dan laughed as the two descended the staircase and made their way over to the kitchen, just a force of habit.

“What do they have spinach in the fridge for?” Phil asked, taking the bag of green out of the fridge with a questionable look.

“Is that not where you’re supposed to keep it?” Dan asked in rebuttal, neither knew, their combined cooking abilities rarely made it past brownies.

A squeaking sound made them both realise the purpose in sync.

“Would Zoe mind?” Phil pondered, but before he had a chance to arrive at an answer Dan had snatched the bag out of his hand and was bounding over to the three-story cage next to the dining table. 

The two furry creatures immediately scurried to the front of the cage, surprisingly nowhere near as shy as Dan and Phil had seen them react to other (#unaestheticZalfiePad) guests.

“Seven pieces for Pippin…” Dan sang as he placed seven pieces of spinach at the far right of the cage, allowing Pippin to chase after the snack, whilst he held Percy back from doing the same thing.

“Eight pieces for Percy” he again sang as he placed eight pieces of spinach in the far left of the cage, and removed his hand so the other guinea pig could run after its snack.

“Why did you give him more?” Phil asked, a second later realising he and Dan were about to embark on a conversation about prioritising guinea pigs’ portions.

“He has my hair,” Dan replied casually, moving his head from side to side, watching both guinea pigs eat. “Plus, with a name like Percy why wouldn’t you favour him just a bit more?” he added, shooting a smile at Phil, who returned it.

_If only they knew that the other adored their smile, and wanted nothing more than to kiss them, and keep them smiling for as long as possible._

“I think Pippin has it going on” Phil commented, watching as the first-served guinea pig thoroughly enjoyed his meal.

“Now now dear, let’s not favour one child over the other” Dan tutted, and Phil shoved him slightly, before both laughed.

***

“Have you seen this?” Phil asked, shoving his phone in Dan’s face after the two had been lounging on the sofa for a while. 

The first thing he noticed was the time, and how Zoe and Alfie had now been absent for a half hour, and it was only twenty minutes before Zoe wanted them to leave, and it was apparently a fifteen minute walk to the pier. 

“What am I looking at? Your screwed up phone calendar again?” Dan asked, switching his focal point to various areas of the screen, as he attempted to see the cause of Phil’s outburst.

“No, idiot, look at the trends” Phil swiped the screen up and the trends were refreshed, with #unaestheticZalfiePad trending at number one and #datpuglifeftdanandphil at number four.

“Looks like we don’t have to splash out on that dinner, go us” Dan smiled, before Phil nodded happily, and moved closer to Dan so it was easier to direct his attention to something else on the phone.

“Look at this too” Phil encouraged, flipping onto his news feed.

_@Joe_Sugg: I can confirm that the #unaestheticZalfiePad is legit. @danisnotonfire @AmazingPhil judgment on point. (sorry Zo)_

_@Caspar_Lee: I was at the #unaestheticZalfiePad not long ago and I was sad. @ZozeeBo you laughed when I screamed at your birthday :(_

_@TanyaBurr: #unaestheticZalfiePad #datpuglifeftdanandphil I don’t know what these are but they’re making my day!_

_@troyesivan: #unaestheticZalfiePad #datpuglifeftdanandphil I wish I could be a part of this *coughs suggestively*_

_@ConnorFranta: Props to @ZozeeBo @PointlessBlog @AmazingPhil @danisnotonfire for breaking the internet #unaestheticZalfiePad #datpuglifeftdanandphil_

_@ConnorFranta: @ZozeeBo @PointlessBlog @AmazingPhil @danisnotonfire that was meant to sound more philosophical/idealistic than sarcastic_

“We are a popular bunch” Dan grinned as he noticed the amount of retweets each tweet continued to receive, thus boosting the two hashtags further up the worldwide trends. 

“What a worthwhile cause, too” Phil joked as he took his phone from Dan’s lap and began opening Tumblr and checking through one specific tag.

“Yep, just as I thought, half sarcastic, half speculated shipping” Phil commented with a giggle as he scrolled past various fanart, audio and video posts under ‘#unaestheticZalfiePad’. 

“Should we really cheat?” Phil asked with a mischievous grin, and Dan immediately clicked onto what he was suggesting.

“Hold on” he prompted before opening his own tumblr app and scrolling down his following list, to where Zoella and PointlessBlogTV were both listed as updating over a year ago.  
“Go for it” he concluded, leaning his head on Phil’s shoulder as Phil clicked onto his inbox, and scrolled until he came across an ask containing the hashtag.

_Anonymous asked: what’s the deal with #unaestheticZalfiePad? It’s cute as hell but I’m just wondering?_

_AmazingPhil answered: trend it on twitter! All will be revealed sooner than you think ;) #unaestheticZalfiePad_

“We’re gonna have this in the bag” Phil smiled to himself as he rested his head on Dan’s.

***

“We’re back! And we saw something pretty interesting on our way- oh” Zoe cut herself off mid-sentence, and dashed back into the front hallway, nearly colliding into her boyfriend in the process.

“What are you doing, little one?” he asked, and Zoe placed a finger to her lips before gesturing for Alfie to follow her into the living room, which he did, both in deathly silence. Even Nala seemed to have quietened down, her footsteps nowhere near as loud and prominent as normal.  
Zoe and Alfie stood in the middle of the living room, observing fondly the event in front of them. 

Dan and Phil were fast asleep, heads together and hands intertwined.

“Do you think something happened whilst we were out?” Zoe asked hopefully, and Alfie shrugged.

“I doubt it, they’ll probably freak when they wake up. But for now, let’s be glad that we’re having some kind of effect here, shall we?” Alfie replied before both took a picture of the scene, for future reference.

_Both Dan and Phil were aware of their positioning, they were before they fell asleep. Neither dared speak up and question it out of fear of the other’s reaction, so both fell asleep happily in each other’s loose embrace._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the biggest fan of this chapter, it kind of sucks. But you can't have a fic without boring filler chapters, right?  
> But I love writing the tweets from other youtubers a little too much and domestic phan is life, more will definitely follow.
> 
> THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT SO FAR IT MEANS THE WORLD xx


	7. Anything To Make You Happy...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Please be sure to read the notes at the end of the chapter, they're pretty important x -

Both Dan and Phil awoke at the same time, due to the same cause. Hysteria coming from a room which was only, realistically, twenty footsteps away. Dan looked down at his hand which seemed to be weighted somehow, and all of a sudden all the pre-nap memories came flooding back, and he felt his cheeks slowly heat up. Shockingly, Phil seemed to be falling back to sleep as the sounds were dying back down, but Dan was now wide awake. He wanted to investigate, as anyone would, but he didn’t want to unlink his hand from Phil’s, at all. 

Rather than suffer the interrogation Phil would surely bestow if he fully awoke to see their interlocked hands, Dan broke free of Phil’s loose grasp on his hand and made his way into the kitchen, which currently only housed Nala.

“Where’s your mummy and daddy, then?” he asked, then shook his head upon realising he was literally having a conversation with a dog and expecting a response.

Nala simply leaned her head to the side and looked at Dan confusedly, more than understandably so. It wasn’t until Dan heard soft mumbles and giggles from the cosy room (he was sure that’s what they called it, based on one of Alfie’s vlogs) and he cautiously pushed the door open.

Nala toddled into the room and jumped straight up onto the sofa, nestling herself between Zoe and Alfie, who were on their laptops.

“See, I told you they’re not always asleep” Alfie joked, as they both closed their laptops with scarily accurate synchronicity. 

“So it turns out the pier’s closed today, so do you want to get started on some collabs?” Zoe asked, ignoring her boyfriend’s previous statement, no matter how much truth it held.

“Sure, I’m pretty sure Phil’s still asleep but I can do some collabs now on my own?” Dan smiled, attempting to make it seem like he wasn’t just napping with Phil in the other room.

He didn’t want Zoe and Alfie getting any ideas about himself and Phil, no matter how much Dan wanted said ideas to be a reality… he was getting those kind of thoughts a lot recently.

“Yay! Do you have any ideas?” Zoe asked excitedly, placing her laptop on the coffee table and resting her head on her hands.

“I was kind of hoping you’d have some ideas” Dan revealed, his creativity not at full capacity in the moment. He wanted it to be original on his channel, he knew that much.

“Well ideally we want to film a ton of collabs that we can just post throughout the year, but change the clothes, hair and stuff so it looks like different days” Alfie told Dan, who nodded in understanding.

“Oh yeah, that old YouTube chestnut” he joked.

“You can film with Alfie first whilst I sort my hair out, walking Nala is never nice to it” Zoe huffed as she pulled on strands of her hair that were borderline frizzing. 

She then left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

“So I have a few ideas, I mean they’re not necessarily good, but” Alfie slid a notebook over the table, and Dan began skimming through it.

“A rematch between me and Phil, then?” Dan read and Alfie shrugged.

“It was so fun to film and it went down crazily well last time” Alfie replied as he returned to his laptop to bring up the video in question.

“One hundred and sixty three thousand thumbs up and three million views?” Dan asked in disbelief, and Alfie nodded with a grin.

“Exactly, so a rematch needs to happen. Although I’m thinking Phil doesn’t indirectly offend so many of his friends this time” Alfie joked, and Dan laughed along.

They continued to pitch video ideas back and forth for a few minutes, and soon enough Zoe returned, hair and makeup flawlessly touched up.

“It’s turned out to be such a nice afternoon” she commented as she sat back down beside Alfie.

“Didn’t you want to film your lookbook today?” he asked his girlfriend, and she sat bolt upright at the realisation.

“Our cameras are on charge and Nala broke our tripod” she sighed, and Alfie shrugged upon realising what Zoe had said was reality.

“You can borrow ours if you want? We kind of brought everything because we figured it’d help with avoiding the whole memory card switching in cameras and everything else nobody has time for” Dan offered, and Zoe jumped up excitedly.

“Are you sure?” she asked, and Dan nodded in confirmation.

“Of course, I’ll just go get them” he smiled as he left the cozy room, and ascended the staircase to his room.

As he climbed the stairs, he heard Alfie explain to Zoe that they couldn’t settle on a collab idea just yet, so they would come back to it later.

Once upstairs, Dan dug around in all of his bags for one of their cameras and the tripod (which was incredibly hard to fit in the first place) but to no avail. He shuddered slightly, they must be in Phil’s room.

As Dan stood outside Phil’s room he felt slightly invasive, and rightfully so. But, he needed to find the filming equipment as soon as possible, and he would be straight in and straight out. He could do this.

“I can save you some time, my dear, I’m right here” a sleepy voice spoke from behind him, and he was met with Phil just reaching the top of the stairs, shuffling rather than walking simply.

“I just wanted the, um, camera and tripod” Dan stuttered on his words, and Phil chuckled as he pushed the door of his room open and gestured for Dan to walk inside too.

“I don’t know what bag it is so just try your luck over there” Phil pointed to the corner of the room where many unpacked bags were piled on top of each other in the corner, much like the setup in Dan’s own room next door.

“Are you filming already?” Phil asked as Dan began searching through various bags.

“Helping Zoe, hers is charging” he answered, not paying much attention to grammar.

“I thought we were going to the pier?” 

“Closed for the day, you’d know if you weren’t asleep all the time” Dan quipped, and Phil laughed.

“That’s rich coming from you! But if you feel so strongly about it, I’ll stay up all night with you, just to make you happy” he offered, and Dan stopped what he was doing to make eye contact.

“You’re going to stay up past two in the morning?” he asked, and Phil nodded, a determined yet sincere smile on his face.

“Okay then, you’re on. We’ll pull an all-nighter together and look like death” the two shook hands and, almost as a consequence, Dan found the camera not a second afterwards.

They kept each other’s gazes for a while, and, whilst it may be Dan’s hopeful imagination, he was sure Phil shuffled a little closer and puckered his lips, just a little.

“I’m gonna go, then…” he trailed off and Phil nodded in understanding.

“Yep, you go do what you need to do, I’ll see you later” 

As Dan walked out of Phil’s room, he slid down the wall and placed the camera and tripod on the floor beside him, trying to contemplate what the hell just happened. They’d been having these kind of moments for ages now, and Dan was never sure what they meant. Or if the intent behind them was reciprocal. But one thing in particular kept replaying in his mind.

_Anything to make you happy… ___

__He must have been sat there for a while, just listening to Phil in the other room, alone with his thoughts. Soon enough, Dan’s gaze turned to the burgundy peep-toe shoes now in front of him._ _

__“Successful adventure?” Zoe asked, a slight smirk on her face._ _

__“Yeah, I found them. What I’m doing down here is… is…”_ _

__Zoe cut Dan off with a laugh and helped him up to his feet._ _

__“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Dan, don’t worry. I just wanted to know if you needed any help finding the camera” she explained, no judgment in her voice whatsoever, just pure friendliness._ _

__Rather than bringing the topic of him being sat in front of Phil’s room back to the focal point of conversation, Dan quickly changed the subject._ _

__“So do you want me to help you film your lookbook? From what I’ve seen of yours and Louise’s they look like more than a one-person job” he offered, and Zoe nodded erratically._ _

__“Would you actually? That would help me so much! Alfie can’t because Poppy and Sean are coming over to plan for Amanda’s birthday, so I was kind of planning how I could film it alone” Zoe seemed relieved at Dan’s offer, and hugged him tightly when he confirmed he would help._ _

__“You go ahead and get ready to go, I’ll be down in a minute” she smiled as she walked into her and Alfie’s room, leaving Dan in the hallway alone._ _

__He hoped that Phil hadn’t heard that Dan wasn’t outside his room this whole time, because Zoe basically made it obvious if he was listening in. But it was Dan’s fault, not Zoe’s. He needed to get his thoughts collected, gain perspective._ _

__He just needed to get Phil out of his head in order to do so._ _

__***_ _

__Phil continued to stretch out on his bed, attempting to become more awake. He had agreed to pull an all-nighter, and he needed to be prepared. He’d slept so much in one day it was unreal, but he didn’t hate it._ _

__He just needed to keep himself distracted._ _

__He played mindless apps until his battery died, listening to a random playlist as he did so. He sighed as the screen turned to black and was no longer navigable, which started the process of attempting to find his charger in amongst everything he and Dan had brought with them to Brighton – pretty much everything but the kitchen sink._ _

__He couldn’t help but overhear the quiet conversation that occurred right outside his room, as much as he hated to eavesdrop. He could tell the voices were Dan and Zoe, unmistakably, but he had clearly only started listening in mid-conversation._ _

__“You go ahead and get ready to go, I’ll be down in a minute” he heard Zoe tell Dan, and a set of footsteps gradually got further and further away._ _

__He then heard a sigh, and a muffled line he couldn’t hear fully, before the second step of footsteps got further away too._ _

__Phil had never been a hundred percent certain on where he stood with Dan, and it wasn’t a concept he ever wanted to bring up out of fear of judgment. Some days they were strictly platonic, purely the best of friends, knowing each other inside and out. But some days, he felt like they could be more. The way he would catch Dan staring at him sometimes (with the fans’ help, of course, it’s brought to Phil’s attention almost every collab) and the occasional comment that could be construed as flirty._ _

__He wanted to know, lay all cards on the table and ask the age old question – what are we?_ _

__But he couldn’t, because he didn’t know. He didn’t know how Dan felt, and he didn’t even fully know how he felt himself._ _

__He remembered telling Alfie that he’d plan some videos with him after he’d changed clothes and sorted himself out, so he changed shirts in record speed and paced down the stairs, determined not to bring attention to his lateness._ _

__The living room was empty, as was the kitchen, as was the cozy room. The house appeared to be silent, until he heard a scuffling of shoes near the front hallway._ _

__Phil followed the sound and soon witnessed Dan hopping around on one leg, one shoe on, one shoe off, trying to tie the laces whilst keeping his balance._ _

__“Well, are you just going to stare?” he asked sarcastically once he noticed Phil’s presence._ _

__“I was planning on it, it’s quite a scene” he replied smugly, and Dan flicked him off._ _

__Phil rolled his eyes and supported Dan, giving him balance. Dan quickly tied his shoelaces, but didn’t make an attempt to move. They were so close, yet again, just staring into each other’s eyes._ _

__It took all of Phil’s willpower not to lean in just that little bit more, but he managed. He managed to keep his cool._ _

__Dan’s cheeks heated up and he appeared flustered as Phil removed his arm, as Dan now had both feet firmly on the ground._ _

__“So, uh, you’re helping Zoe film?” Phil asked, breaking the silence. He was then thrown into the thought of if he had asked it before or not, he probably had._ _

__“Yeah, her lookbook. Alfie’s sister and her boyfriend’s coming round to plan for their mum’s birthday, so you have fun with that” Dan replied, a small grin playing on his lips that Phil returned._ _

__“I’m an a-list socialite, I can handle it” he replied, putting on his best posh accent._ _

__“You’re going to stay in your room on your laptop aren’t you” Dan called Phil on his bluff._ _

__“Probably”_ _

__Both of them stayed silent for a while, both too awkward to say anything or leave. Phil didn’t actually want to leave, he could stay in the same room as Dan for days on end not saying anything, he felt that comfortable in his presence, but again, he didn’t know if it was reciprocal. Or if it was what he wanted._ _

__“And if you take her for a walk don’t forget to put her jumper on and-“ Zoe cut herself off as she stopped just a step away from Dan and Phil, Alfie following immediately behind her nodding at Zoe’s instructions._ _

__“I know, we don’t want her to get pneumonia. I can handle it, she’s my baby too” he replied sassily, and Zoe rolled her eyes._ _

__“Are you ready to go?” she asked Dan, and he nodded with a smile, and grabbed the camera and tripod from the staircase._ _

__Zoe placed the bulging bag of clothes over her shoulder and opened the door, before she kissed Alfie softly and she and Dan left promptly, chatting excitedly about potential shots they could get for her lookbook._ _

__“So, video planning” Alfie clapped his hands together, and Phil nodded, not really having any ideas of his own right now. They would probably only get stolen by every other YouTuber without credit anyway._ _

__“I was thinking we could do something on my gaming channel as well as the main channel? It’d ease us into the whole filming thing, too” Alfie proposed, and Phil shrugged, open for anything. Maybe he could ask Alfie for a collab on the new Shelter game or something in return._ _

__“Yeah, let’s do it” Phil spoke, and Alfie grinned._ _

__“Great! Let’s go film that now and we’ll worry about the main channels later” he suggested as he made his way out of the hallway and into his office._ _

__As much as Phil wanted to get into the gaming state of mind and provide a high quality video for Alfie’s (and probably his own, if they migrated over) viewers, he couldn’t put his full heart and soul into the filming, which was always his aim with his YouTube career._ _

__Because he just couldn’t get Dan out of his head._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to try and make the chapters from now on longer, so I hope you're alright with that! (It may mean the fic finishes earlier as a result, keep in mind)
> 
> But I really really r e a l l y need your input into the story! 
> 
> I have no idea what to make Dan and Phil's collabs with Zoe and Alfie be (I have Zoe and Alfie's collabs already planned, but both Dan and Phil need collabs for both channels too), like they need to be original (aka what you see on their channels irl, so no tags or anything, and no coming out videos) but I can't think of anything. Realistically, the story cannot continue without their collabs, so the story is on hold until I (or you, if you want to help) can think of any collab ideas...
> 
> You don't have to suggest anything, of course, but if you want to, it would help me out so much and i'd be forever grateful. Plus, if you've ever wanted to see a specific Dan/Phil/Zoe/Alfie collab concept, let me know and i'll probably make it a reality - in written form!
> 
> Thankyou for the continued support on the story, i'm still so overwhelmed by it :)
> 
> xx


	8. Get A Clue

“Okay where do you want to start filming?” Dan asked, and Zoe scoped out their surroundings and settled on the seafront for the first few outfit shots, before ducking into a previously reserved beach hut to change.

Whilst alone, Dan took the time to lean on the stony wall and reflect on the trip so far – despite the amount of hours into the trip nearly being able to be counted on both hands – and how certain events could be construed.

“What’s his game” he pondered aloud, as he watched couples stroll along the seafront, families enjoying the beach atmosphere and various other positive aspects of seaside towns that he had yet to dabble in.

His mind was about to venture into the fantastical state of one in a relationship with the goofy blue-eyed man he’d grown so accustomed to over the years, when a summery dressed Zoe stepped beside him, asking if he was ready to film.

Frankly, it was a lucky escape from his unattainable fantasy.

\---

A few hours and a comedically commentated game of Google Feud later, Phil and Alfie emerged from the office in a fit of giggles, Phil being gracious in defeat despite only losing by a mere 50,000 points.

As soon as they sat down on the sofa, Nala jumped up and onto Alfie’s lap, and he retrieved his vlogging camera to document his victory, and Phil played along by putting on an exaggerated pout, and jokingly claiming the game was fixed beforehand.

“At least you guys should be used to it by now, if you watch mine and Dan’s gaming channel” he shrugged, and Alfie laughed from behind the camera.

“You’ve won some though, right?” he asked, and Phil nodded enthusiastically.

“But from now on I will win without the help of all or nothing…. Maybe” he grinned, and Alfie switched off the camera.

“Zoe says they should be finished for the day in about two or three hours, do you want to go into town now and meet them when they’re done?” Alfie asked, and Phil nodded, wanting a few hours’ break from filming.

The two then embarked on the walk into the main part of Brighton, chatting aimlessly and pleasantly on the way. Rather than being greeted by looming buildings either side of them, they decided to take the more scenic route along the seafront, and stopped for a few seconds, resting on the wall, looking out and watching the gentle waves ride in and out.

“Do you think that’s them?” Alfie asked out of the blue, and pointed to a location far down the beach, where two figures were, and a blurred yet familiar looking structure similar to a camera and tripod positioned between them. One figure was brightly dressed and looked to be keeling over, and the other darker dressed figure seemed to be on the ground.

Phil’s phone buzzed at exactly the right moment.

_@danisnotonfire: Whoever told me it was always necessary to wear shoes on the beach needs to rethink their morals… yes I fell over on the Brighton pebbles_

After silently thanking for tweet notifications and stifling back hysterical laughter he showed the tweet to Alfie, who also tried his very hardest to bite back laughter, neither did the ideal job.

_@ZozeeBo: @danisnotonfire if it helps, you fell very gracefully… I have it on camera to prove it_

“I’m going to make sure that stays in her vlog” Alfie stated upon seeing the reply, and both laughed heartily before continuing their journey into town, leaving the other two to wrap up filming the lookbook for the day.

They found themselves in a café (Alfie’s recommendation, of course) with two steaming beverages in front of them, engaging in different topics of conversation in between Alfie’s vlogging bursts.

However, it wasn’t long before the vlogging for that portion of the day came to an end, and the conversation turned to the sincere and serious.

“So it’s been a long time since we’ve had time away from work to actually just chat, how’s life?” Alfie asked, seemingly genuinely interested.

“Average, if I’m being honest. Nothing really stand out or extraordinary” Phil replied, silently wishing his life was just that more spiced up from the norm.

“Anything new on the love scene?” Alfie asked whilst taking a lengthy sip from his hot chocolate. _Obviously not to hide his wide smile, knowing what was bound to happen sooner or later…_

Phil tried his best to hide his blush, but it was a fruitless endeavour.

“Sometimes I think I could confidently say yes then other times no, it’s a weird kind of thing, I don’t know how to describe it” he attempted to word ‘ _I don’t know where I stand with Dan and it’s driving me crazy_ ’ eloquently and, for the best part, succeeded.

Alfie nodded and smiled sympathetically, offering generic advice that never really helped anything.

“This is going to sound really childish and pathetic but can I ask something serious?” Phil asked before really knowing what logic was behind it.

“Of course mate, what’s up?” Alfie responded, immediately locking and discarding his phone into his pocket, focusing his attention on the still-blushing man opposite him.

“I’m twenty-eight years old, and i’ve never been in a fully committed long-term relationship. I honestly don’t know what it’s like to feel that overwhelming affection for someone, and most people my age are settled down, or preparing to be. I guess what I’m asking is, um-“

“What it’s like to be in love” Alfie interjected, wording Phil’s biggest wonder perfectly. All he could do is nod as Alfie shuffled in his seat to better his posture.

“If anyone knew this is the kind of stuff we speak about off camera” Alfie laughed softly and Phil cracked a smile, but the anxious, existential thoughts in his mind were temporarily clouding his sense of humour.

“But in all seriousness, it’s a surreal kind of feeling. It’s not like the movies try to portray, the whole _oh my god, I’m purely living for them_ kind of thing. It’s more of like, this is going to sound really cliché too, a kind of void in your life has been filled, if that makes sense?”

Phil froze in his seat, Alfie’s description was beginning to sound eerily familiar and fitting to his own life, and the weirdness didn’t end there.

“Also it’s kind of like, you just can’t imagine if they weren’t there. When Zoe and I lived apart in our flats, whenever I wasn’t with her I was always thinking stuff like ‘what if she doesn’t want me to come over tomorrow’ and ‘what if she decides she’s sick of seeing me everyday’. Those kind of thoughts cost me many a sleepless night, I can tell you that. You know it’s real if it physically hurts you to imagine a negative outcome”

_Maybe I do know, then.._ Phil thought to himself, before snapping out of that frame of mind and focusing on the humorous topics of conversation.

His emotions had gotten in the way a few too many times in the past as it was.

Alfie then proceeded to show Phil some messages that he and Zoe had sent each other in the past, overwhelmingly adorable and their feelings towards each other evident.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Phil asked, causing Alfie’s cheeks to stain pink.

“Yeah, I think I just might” he replied, no wavering of doubt or uncertainty in his voice. If anything he was definitely downplaying his response.

___

“We got some amazing shots!” Zoe grinned as she skimmed through some of the footage that Dan had shot of her throughout the course of the day, nodding in approval towards each one.

“I just wish I could be as positive about it” Dan muttered as he rubbed his ankle, and kicked some pebbles out of the way.

“Only potentially two million people _minimum_ will see it, it’s not that big of a deal” Zoe laughed as Dan’s face whitened at realising Zoe’s vlog audience statistics.

Zoe’s phone buzzed then, and after unlocking it she held the screen out for Dan to see.

_@AmazingPhil: Coffee and deep chats with @PointlessBlog, I feel like a real adult right now. Maybe I’ll do my taxes early._

_@PointlessBlog: @AmazingPhil very enlightening afternoon mate, if I do say so myself!_

“I take it they’re already in town. I texted Alfie a while ago saying when we’d probably be finished” Zoe explained, and Dan nodded in understanding.

“I’ll just get changed again then we can pack all this in the car and walk to meet them” she smiled before making her way back up to the beach hut for the final time that day, and Dan began packing away the filming equipment, one very intriguing thought process in his mind.

What was so enlightening that the other two had discussed?

He must have been lost in his own head for a while, because it only seemed a second in between Zoe leaving and returning, the bulging tote bag of neatly folded clothes now slung over her shoulder.

“Only three more to go, some won’t make the cut” she mused as Dan picked up the camera and tripod, and they made their way off of the beach and towards Zoe’s car.

“Preferably the one where you can hear me loudly falling over and my ankle practically cracking out of place” Dan suggested, prompting Zoe to laugh at recalling the event.

“That’s one of my favourites though, my friend. Although I may edit your performance out and put into the bloopers, we both know there’s going to be a lot” she replied, and Dan shrugged, no better alternative was to be offered, and things could be worse. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d made himself look an idiot on the Internet.

\---

“Nala-bear!” Zoe called in a high-pitched voice as the four walked back through the door, and the pug wasted no time at all in jumping into Zoe’s arms and squirming in excitement.

“I think you’ll need to go for a little trip outside” she decided before carrying Nala out to the garden, and Alfie slipped into the kitchen to pack away essentials he had picked up for the house whilst in town.

Dan and Phil stood in the front corridor awkwardly, not really knowing what to do or say. Dan wanted to question Phil as to what he and Alfie had discussed, but was wary of the breaching of privacy. Phil wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted, but he was slowly clueing up to exactly _who_ he wanted.

“So, um, I spent a bit too much on coffee and cake today, I don’t think we have enough between us to pay for the meal tomorrow without withdrawing from our cards” Phil looked down at the ground, guilty over his previous payments. In hindsight, three slices of the (albeit delicious) cake may have been a slight mistake.

“We’d best do something to make sure we don’t have to, then” Dan shrugged, before ascending the first flight of stairs, but the footsteps soon came to a halt.

“Earth to idiot, I kind of need you up here” he called, and Phil soon followed suit up the stairs, gently slapping his cheeks in an attempt to quell the blushing caused by Dan’s choice of wording. This gradual realisation was becoming a hindrance.

Dan smiled at Phil’s appearance, then walked into his room, making sure to keep the door wide open so Phil could follow. Which he did, somewhat hesitantly.

“Why are you being weird” Dan asked monotonously whilst switching his laptop on and propping up against the headboard of the bed.

“What do you mean weird?” Phil replied, managing to stop himself adding a nervous laugh which would have definitely given him away.

Dan eyed him curiously for a few seconds before shrugging and smiling, then waving Phil over to sit beside him.

Phil sat cross-legged as he watched Dan open all his networks, one particularly surprising.

“You’re doing a liveshow?” he asked, and Dan nodded, a devious smirk playing on his lips.

“You bet your ass _we’re_ doing a liveshow” he replied, emphasising the collective.

Phil again watched on as Dan logged into YouNow and began broadcasting under ‘ _#UnaestheticZalfiePad’._

In seemingly the same second he was on Twitter on tweeting the link. Although he had seen it a thousand times, Phil had to admire Dan’s skills on the keyboard, it was a talent in itself.

_@danisnotonfire: SPONTANEOUS BROADCAST WITH A NOT SO SPECIAL GUEST #UNAESTHETICZALFIEPAD [http://www.younow.com/danisnotonfire]_

_@AmazingPhil: Can’t imagine who RT: @danisnotonfire: SPONTANEOUS BROADCAST WITH A NOT SO SPECIAL GUEST #UNAESTHETICZALFIEPAD [http://www.younow.com/danisnotonfire]_

“Show me those numbers” Dan muttered as he clicked onto the worldwide trends, and his expression faltered slightly at seeing Zoe and Alfie’s hashtag having just a few thousand more tweets.

“It could all change, we might not have to dig deep quite yet” Phil offered helpfully, and Dan rolled his eyes as he clicked back onto YouNow.

“’Sup dudes” he greeted, and the chat immediately sprang into life with a chorus of ‘never say that again’.

“I don’t think they like that” Phil stated with a smile, and Dan pouted jokingly.

“I don’t like that we’re not winning this hashtag war, ours is so much better” he quipped, and Phil held his hands up in surrender, no use trying to out sass when Dan was this determined.

They both leaned forward to get a better reading of the chat, and in the process banged heads, prompting a wave of screenshots and the occasional ‘I bet that’s not the only time they’ve banged a body part’ from the chat.

Trying their best to ignore similar comments in the chat, they continued confidently and seamlessly.

“So what can we do to get you guys to help us trend the bad boy” Dan asked, and within a few seconds the chat was erupting yet again, some helpful suggestions mixed in with a few not so helpful. The latter was the more entertaining, admittedly.

“Someone says do a dance for us, go on Dan” Phil read, and Dan scowled at the webcam.

“It’s for the glory, so fine. But this is all you’re getting” he then did a Howell take on alternative dance, moving his shoulders then shimmying, then a few more moves Phil couldn’t really describe.

“Collarbone, collarbone, collarbone” Phil read from the chat, then shrugged, and Dan sighed.

“This again, guys? Really?” Dan asked, but nevertheless pulled his shirt down slightly to reveal the cause of the fans’ uproar and repetition.

“If that doesn’t get us trending number one I don’t know what will” Phil said with a smile, careful not to filter any emotion other than humour into his words.

“If that doesn’t win us the whole thing, then-“ Dan trailed off as his gaze dropped to his phone beside him, specifically the most recent notification.

_Alfie Deyes is now broadcasting on YouNow!_

“They’re taking our thing” Phil protested to the camera, and Dan turned his head to the other side to look at Phil, temporarily ignoring the influx of resulting screenshots that will likely be captioned ‘Heart Eyes Howell strikes again’.

“Phil, wording” he said, and Phil questioned what he had said, and Dan left the topic with a shake of his head, and an idea hatched.

‘Investigating aka sabotaging, stall for me and be discreet’ he typed out on his phone, and subtly moved the phone over his lap and next to Phil, sure to keep the contents out of the camera’s view.

After the slightest of nods from Phil, Dan excused himself and tip-toed out of the room, and sat at the top of the stairs, listening carefully to the events occurring downstairs.

Zoe and Alfie were answering viewer questions, occasionally leading to an anecdote that wasn’t spoken about in a vlog. It was obvious Dan hadn’t been discovered yet, so he dared to descend the stairs slowly.

“Everyone’s asking where Dan’s gone. He’s just gone to use the bathroom. Is it weird when I say that? I don’t mean gone for a shower, because that’s in a bathroom. I mean… you know what I mean, it’s a turn of phrase I’m sure you’ll all have heard” Phil rambled on as he stalled for time, waiting for Dan’s interruption on Zoe and Alfie’s broadcast.

He had split the screen into two, half of the screen showing his and Dan’s broadcast, and the other showing Zoe and Alfie’s, but on mute. They were sitting at the dining table, meaning the second Dan reached the bottom step he would be in view.

“You’re the top trend again, someone says,” Phil read before switching to Twitter and refreshing the trends. “So we are! Zoe and Alfie are at number two and hashtag Howell on Strictly is number seven, that is actually hilarious. Thanks guys!” Phil grinned, and the chat burst with congratulations messages and the occasional ‘what is this war even for’.

As Phil was about to answer a few more questions a figure appeared in the corner of the other broadcast, and he made a quick excuse for silence (he didn’t want to ask everyone to view Zoe and Alfie’s broadcast in the fear they would find out) and watched as Dan slowly made his way down the few remaining steps, shockingly remaining unseen.

Although the broadcast was on mute, Phil could easily read Zoe’s lips as she spoke the last few words before Dan jumped and interrupted them.

‘Do you think Dan and Phil should…’

Even though Phil had no idea of the remainder of the sentence nor the context it was referring to, he had an unjustified gut feeling that he and Dan should do whatever she was about to say.

As Phil watched Dan, Zoe and Alfie chat in the broadcast (mainly consisting of Zoe calming down after the scare and Alfie laughing at her) he noticed small things that he had yet to study in detail.

Sure, he had seen Dan’s dimples as holy in the opinion of the fans, but he had never truly admired them. The way they would appear effortlessly accompanying a genuine smile. The way his eyes would light up just that much brighter when he laughed. He was just now realising just how aesthetically pleasing (he refused to call it another word and provoke his emotions further) his best friend was.

And that’s what terrified him the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry this fic hasn't been updated in a while! (please also go show this chapter some love over on tumblr - cafephan.tumblr.com ! )
> 
> I'm still taking in video ideas for the collabs, which will be in either the next chapter or the one after (see the previous chapter's authors note for details)
> 
> And thankyou so much for two phanfic award nominations over on phanficawards(.tumblr.com) i'm so thankful the phandom have accepted me and my rambly fics!
> 
> Thankyou for reading xxx


	9. Clubbing Clarity

“And whilst I calm down and fend off a heart attack I’ll leave Alfie to tell you about the embarrassing moment at Playlist” Zoe excused herself politely before standing up and walking out of the living room, leaving a hysterical Alfie and Dan still broadcasting.

“I’ll go check if she’s okay, it’s been nice seeing you guys” Dan saluted before following Zoe’s previous actions, but ran back quickly into shot.

“Also go watch Phil and I’s broadcast, you won’t regret it” he winked after the cheeky promotion then ran out of the room before Alfie could call him on it.

\--

“I don’t know where Dan is now,” Phil answered a viewer’s premium message, “he could have ran away and be on the train back home right now, I don’t know” he spoke with a smile as he scanned for more messages.

He heard mumbling from downstairs and sighed, wishing he knew what every mumble was, just because his new found feelings heightened his paranoia to its peak.

“A new wave of people have arrived, hello!” he greeted the new thousand viewers, and checked his phone at the same time, and unlocked it hastily, being put under pressure on a liveshow that was supposed to be collaborative was taking its toll. Plus, he felt really sleep deprived, which added insult to injury.

‘ _Can you get back up here and either end it or do it yourself? I’m tired and just want to sleep’_ after the text was sent to Dan he answered more generic questions and tried his best to remain as upbeat and cheerful as everyone was used to seeing, but it proved quite a feat when over twenty-two thousand viewers were watching live.

With no response from Dan, Phil took it upon himself to end the liveshow and escaped into his own bedroom, wrapping himself up in the duvet and facing the wall before the sky even darkened.

“I hate it” he mumbled before pulling the duvet over his face and curling into a ball.

All was quiet for a few minutes, until a weight on Phil’s feet caused his eyes to snap open and gaze over to the cause.

The cause, unsurprisingly, was a grinning Dan. Phil wiped his eyes in an attempt to be more awake and alert as clearly Dan was excited over something.

“Get up and get dressed, we’re going out” he announced and patted Phil’s leg enthusiastically through the duvet, to which Phil desperately tried to disguise his blush, as well as trying to stop his mind as construing Dan’s words in a way they weren’t intended.

_Can’t ‘going out’ also mean dating??_ Was his immediate thought, but with a soft sigh he eschewed the thought with a firm hand.

“We never go out if we’re not at an event” Phil reminded Dan, who simply shook his head and shrugged.

“Well tonight we are, consider it a relaxation before the day of filming we have ahead of us tomorrow, I just want to spend some time with you out of houses, is that so wrong?” Dan replied before walking back out of the room and tapping his wrist comically, where a watch would be.

And with that Phil found himself getting dressed up in record time.

\--

“It’s really not my scene, but have a good time! Although not too drunk, you’re going to be on camera a lot tomorrow” Zoe said with a smile in response to Dan asking if she was coming too, and he nodded in understanding.

“When have I ever gotten too drunk?” Dan asked with a raised eyebrow, and Zoe grinned.

“How about the time you jumped in the pool fully clothed at VidCon that time and it took both Phil and Louise to get you out because you wouldn’t stop splashing and screaming ‘I think I’m AquaMan’?” she asked, grin turning to a smirk, and Dan felt his cheeks heat up.

“Okay you’ve made your point. But Hannah and Mamrie won’t be there this time to make me drink that much again, I should be fine” Dan stated, silently adding an _I hope._ Zoe patted Dan’s shoulder before walking into the kitchen.

It was then that Alfie and Phil entered the living room, ready to go. After a quick goodbye to Zoe and another promise to not get too drunk, the three left in search of a taxi to the nearest club, upon Alfie’s recommendation.

Dan could only hope things would go well.

With the way Phil was dressed, it was hard for Dan to tear his gaze away, not even when the fluorescent lights of the Brighton nightlife were directly next to him, he still found himself staring intensely at Phil in his entirety. His defined facial features, the way the dark blue button up complimented his paler complexion, the way he looked in awe of everything around him.

Except Dan didn’t even think to question it.

\--

“You’re not vlogging are you?” Dan asked Alfie nervously, and Phil knew he looked sheepish as he was wondering the same thing, and he breathed a sigh of relief when Alfie shook his head vigorously.

“Never on nights out, bar ones at YouTube events” he assured the two, to which they both smiled. “Plus, don’t worry Dan, there aren’t any pools near this club, you’ll be fine” he added, and Dan flicked him off, which Phil found hilarious.

“You get drunk _one time_ and people never let you live it down” he mumbled, and Alfie threw his head back in laughter.

“You were completely hammered mate, you didn’t have a chance” Alfie reminded the brunet, whose blush grew in intensity.

“Phil, step in and help me out here, this is bullying” Dan pleaded jokingly as he pointed at Alfie, his other hand resting sassily on his hip.

“You two can stay out here in the cold and squabble but I’d rather go inside” Phil stated with an accompanying eye roll before making his way inside the club, Dan and Alfie following suit.

The club was packed to its brim, and there was very little space to move around.

“Prime time to be out” Alfie shouted over the music and both Dan and Phil nodded in agreement, though Phil felt a little anxious about the whole ordeal, crowds were something he still wasn’t used to nor comfortable with, despite the vast range of experience.

But, clubbing was very much something he had to throw himself into, and thus far it had served him well.

Alfie soon split off from Dan and Phil to speak to some of his old school friends that he spotted, leaving the duo wondering what to do.

Dan suggested going to the bar and deciding what to do after getting a drink in their hands, which Phil shrugged in agreement to, not having any better ideas. His sleep-deprived mind wasn’t helping anything.

It didn’t help that he couldn’t stop staring at Dan and being in a trance at how good he looked, either.

\--

“Where are the toilets here? I can’t see anything over people’s heads” Phil asked as he stood on his tiptoes trying to seek out the location, and Dan couldn’t help but laugh to himself.

He tapped Phil on the shoulder gently and pointed to the ceiling, where a bright, fluorescent sign titled ‘toilets’ accompanied with a downwards-pointing arrow hung. Despite the coloured spotlights flicking around the room courtesy of the DJ booth, Dan could tell Phil was blushing and flustered, only furthered by how small his voice was when he told Dan he’d be back soon.

Dan would be lying if he said he found it anything but adorable.

\--

Although the whole world saw them as a package deal – their careers were even intertwined – Dan couldn’t hide the dependency that he had on Phil. Truly, Dan admired Phil as much as one could admire another human being, and it was so much to the point that he wouldn’t think twice about taking a bullet for him.

The fact that Phil had now been gone for nearly an hour when he said he’d be back soon was worrying Dan immensely, but he was adamant not to come across as clingy and text or call him, so continued to wait (im)patiently.

He hadn’t moved since Phil left, he’d remained in the back corner next to the bar just so Phil would be able to find him again, and had been watching the other clubbers dancing (sometimes grinding) and generally having fun whilst he sipped on his drink silently, feeling ridiculously out of place.

Although the club was packed solid there was a fair distance between Dan and the nearest clubbers, which he found sadistically ironic, and his mind involuntarily cast back to his childhood.

He genuinely felt lost, he felt alone.

As he continued to slowly drink, it was as if a fog was lifting in his mind, and hidden feelings were becoming uncovered. The things Phil had said over the years relayed through his mind, and he began to consider if maybe they had an underlying meaning behind them, and it was only a second later that he realised that he wished that was true.

The conversation he’d had with Zoe whilst they were filming her lookbook, when she enquired about Dan’s love life, at the time it didn’t mean anything to him, he’s always asked the same question when his grandparents visit, but looking back, with the way Zoe worded things, she had helped put things into perspective.

More to the point, helped put things into perspective regarding _who_ was new in Dan’s love life.

He’d never wanted Phil by his side more. For more reasons than one.

\--

Approximately another half hour passed (Dan could only guess as he wasn’t wearing a watch and he was afraid that if he got out his phone to check that it would be stolen, he knew how clubgoers were) and Phil still hadn’t returned.

To say Dan was worried would be an understatement.

Phil was a fully grown adult, of course, but he had always been one to be at his most comfortable around someone he’s known for a while, being around strangers had never been his forte. He always at least texted if he would be gone for a while longer than he anticipated.

So Dan set out on a mission, a pretty much impossible mission, to find Phil in amongst the packed-solid club. Usually, it wouldn’t be an issue due to both of them being usually awkwardly taller than the majority of people wherever they went, but tonight seemed to be the night of the tall and lanky.

He stuck to the wall as he inched further and further away from his dark corner and alongside the dancefloor. Some clubgoers stared as he passed them, but most seemed uncaring as they carried on with their night. But Dan kept an eye out for Phil, but he seemed to be nowhere in sight. Surely he wouldn’t have just gotten up and left without him?

They needed to have a sit-down chat, and Dan needed to tell Phil everything that he’d discovered that he feels. Maybe it was the alcohol provoking it, but Dan wanted to tell Phil as soon as possible.

At least he could blame the alcohol if Phil didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Even though he was next to stone cold sober.

‘Is that him?’ Dan asked himself as his gaze set on a black head of hair which shone under a neon yellow spotlight.

It would have probably looked weird to anyone that saw the scene, Dan stretched out across the wall, clinging to the banister, staring intensely at the back of someone’s head when they have no clue. But Dan’s concern for Phil was outbalancing his care for strangers’ perception and opinion of him.

It all seemed to happen in a single fluid movement, one second Dan was still trying to decipher if it was Phil that was stood with his back to him, and the next glistening blue eyes were in front of him and a mixture of emotions were practically radiating from him.

The next, six words that Dan would never be able to wipe from his memory.

“I want you to kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I finally updated woop woop party 
> 
> Sorry it's been so late, but life stuff has gotten in the way such as finishing college, waiting for uni applications (i'm accepted and doing a Creative Writing course!) as well as writer's block which I pretty much think i'm over now
> 
> But yeah as always let me know what you thought (I know it's not as good as the other chapters bc it's kind of a filler and it's probs a disappointment but anyway) and thankyou so much for sticking with this story xx
> 
> (Also follow me on tumblr (cafephan) and twitter (HoppipHowell) if you're feeling nice) x


	10. The Morning After and Filming

The morning sunlight was far too unforgiving on Dan’s current state. He was just below the line of drunk, but he was definitely beyond tipsy the night before. Admittedly, he had left earlier than anticipated as soon as Phil had returned, sending a quick text to Alfie explaining that they would see him back at the house the following morning.

It wasn’t often that Dan was the more sober one of the two after a night out, and in all fairness Phil wasn’t much worse, he just slurred on a few more words and his vision was a little more blurred. Every one of Dan’s nerves was on edge and screaming at him to check on Phil in the next room, but he balled the duvet into his fists as a distraction. He had only laid Phil down on the bed before leaving his room, he could only hope Phil made it into bed alright and actually slept.

What would be the harm in checking?

He found himself unnecessarily tip-toeing to the room next door, shielding his unwilling eyes from the morning seaside sunlight, and knocked gently on the glossy wooden door, not sure whether he should expect a response or not.

After hearing a strained ‘yeah’ from inside, Dan creaked the door open and was greeted with the sight of a topless Phil, sitting upright in bed with the duvet pooling on his lap.

“I, um, I just wanted to check that you were okay” Dan announced, biting back the overwhelming urge to add ‘and also what the hell you said last night’.

Phil shrugged, but crinkled his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead. “I mean, I guess, but I’ll shower up and get some food and then we’ll see” he replied, stretching his arms out wide, which Dan found unnecessarily enticing.

“Phil?” Dan heard himself ask, logic not having had a chance to catch up. Phil didn’t reply, simply turned his attention back to Dan upon hearing his name, “How much do you remember about last night?” it took all Dan had to not let his voice waver.

Phil scratched the back of his neck as he was launched deep in thought, and Dan folded his arms across his chest almost as a safety net, he suddenly felt insecure and oh so vulnerable.

“I remember up to the point of coming out of the toilets and then I ran into someone I went to secondary school with and had a catch up with them” Phil recalled, and looked up at Dan afterwards to process his reaction.

Dan could feel his eyes slowly welling up, and he refused to let Phil see. He couldn’t, then he would have to explain.

“Right” he muttered, turning on his heel and briskly walking out of the room and down the stairs, to where Zoe was busy making breakfast.

If he’d have hung back a second, he would have heard Phil add “and everything else after that” with a wistful sigh.

\--

“Two thousand!” was Zoe’s unconventional greeting as Dan entered the kitchen. She was waiting for the pancakes to be ready for flipping, and was tapping her phone excitedly.

“What?” Dan asked, not bothering to begin to think of what Zoe could possibly mean. He wasn’t on top form, last night’s alcohol was still clutching at him with all its might.

Zoe tossed her phone over to Dan as she turned to her pancakes, and once his eyes adjusted to the bright screen, he noticed that Zoe and Alfie’s trend was indeed ahead by two-thousand tweets, and their fancy dinner was tonight. If he and Phil wanted to win, they had to up their game, and fast. Or their bank accounts would feel the wrath.

“Wait, you got more help, that’s not fair!” Dan whined upon swiping to Zoe’s Twitter timeline.

_@JonathanJoly: Emilia is infatuated and Eduardo keeps chanting ‘doggy’. Offer’s still open to make Nala number 7 #datpuglifeftdanandphil_

_@AnnaSaccone: RT: @ZozeeBo: Three of my favourites #datpuglifeftdanandphil [photo link]_

“I didn’t make the rules” Zoe shrugged.

“You literally did, though” Dan replied, and Zoe threw her head back in laughter.

“I was wondering how long it’d take before I heard the famous ‘literally’. Took longer than I thought” she informed Dan with a grin as she plated a pancake and set to work on another.

“I hate my branding” Dan mumbled to himself as he walked over to the dining table, sitting on one of the chairs and resting his head on his hands, willing for the pounding headache to dissipate quicker than he knew it would.

Zoe joined him a few minutes later, starting on her two pancakes and making idle chat. Dan replied when was polite, and he only faltered from his position when he heard movement from upstairs.

Once Zoe had convinced him to actually eat something and was whipping up culinary delights once again, Dan took the time to check his own Twitter feed, and sub-consciously checked his and Phil’s trend, filtered by ‘people you follow’.

_@shanedawson: I don’t understand it, but it’s probably for a fanfic I’ve read of @danisnotonfire and @AmazingPhil somewhere #unaestheticZalfiePad_

The tweet was a reply to a fan sending Shane the photoshopped picture of Dan, Phil and Dil that they had saw the day before, and Dan smiled to himself as he clicked the retweet button. He also noticed Shane’s reply to other fans, asking if he knew the purpose of the hashtag war, and all the tweets he had replied to insisted that he tweeted Dan and Phil’s hashtag on the end ‘just because’.

_@danisnotonfire: The thing is I wouldn’t even doubt it by this point RT: @shanedawson: I don’t understand it, but it’s probably for a fanfic I’ve read of @danisnotonfire and @AmazingPhil somewhere #unaestheticZalfiePad_

Dan smiled again as he saw his mentions blow up, and continued to scroll down Shane’s profile, since he was already on there anyway.

_@shanedawson: @trishapaytas if I knew, I’d tell you. But like I said before, it’s only their fans, the Internet’s going to hate you, they’re royalty…_

Curious, Dan clicked on the tweet to see the thread it was part of.

_@trishapaytas: Why do YouTubers feel the need to flaunt everything to get exposure? Like I get it, you’re famous you don’t have to be such fuckers about it_

Being subscribed to Shane, Dan had seen the ‘trying British Candy’ video where Trisha had voiced her dislike for himself and Phil, and he shook his head and pressed his lips together as he cancelled out of the thread. It did get to him, as he was a big admirer of Trisha’s openness on her channel and did respect her, but he was well aware that she had also said in a video a few years ago that she wouldn’t sleep with either Dan or Phil, and that she didn’t see the hype over them. Also, she had simply said that she ‘didn’t like them’ at one point, the comment as passive and casual as anything during a q&a. It seemed as if they just couldn’t win with her, no matter how much Shane defended them or how none of them ever responded, despite both noticing the multiple tweets they’d received about it in the past.

“One tweet out of many” Dan shrugged as he continued scrolling, significantly less smiley and tolerable than he was just a few minutes prior.

“Are you okay Dan?” a voice interrupted his social-media induced daydream, one he was so wrapped up in that he didn’t even notice the groggy Phil now sat on the seat beside him, head swimming, resting on his hand.

“Just thinking” he replied, voice small. If they were alone at home, Dan wouldn’t waste any time and would tell Phil everything, everything down to the littlest insignificant detail, and Phil would comfort him, tell him that he couldn’t please everyone, it was impossible, and that it wasn’t like Dan to let some petty jealousy or unjustified dislike from another YouTuber get him down like this.

But they weren’t alone nor at home. Zoe was cooking up a storm in the kitchen and Alfie was now padding around the living room vlogging whilst waiting for Nala to finish on the garden, and Phil knew better than to question Dan in the current circumstances. He was concerned, there was no question, he was just also suffering from a pretty bad hangover and he needed to quell it and quickly, as filming was to begin after breakfast.

\--

“What’s up guys! As you can see, I’m joined with two very special guests…” Alfie trailed off his introduction for Dan and Phil to introduce themselves.

“Hi!” they waved in unison, and Alfie blinked in disbelief at their synchronicity and stared wide-eyed at the camera for a second, but quickly launched back into the introduction.

“I’ve been waiting to collab with you both again for so long!” he announced, wrapping an arm around both of their necks and pulling them in for a bro hug, grinning cheesily for the camera which Dan and Phil copied.

“Yeah, it’s really overdue!” Phil agreed, and Dan nodded vigorously in agreement.

“So, do you have any idea what we’re doing today?” Alfie asked, looking for them both for answers, which he knew wouldn’t come, as he had kept the video concept a secret.

After both Dan and Phil shook their heads, Alfie turned to face the camera straight on once again, and clasped his hands together. “Okay, ever since I saw Marcus and Tyler do the YouTuber book challenge i’ve just been dying to have a go myself, so that’s pretty much what we’ll be doing. Should be fun, maybe wreck a few friendships again” he nudged Phil playfully, and Phil shook his head in regret.

“Louise I’m sorry again for calling Darcy a hairy egg, I meant it in an affectionate way!” he insisted, and Dan raised an eyebrow to the camera.

Nevertheless, the challenge was beginning before Dan had a chance to pass a snarky comment, and Zoe was reading the first YouTuber book quote off-camera, out of sight from the three men to eliminate any possibility of cheating.

“Phil, you’re first. Who said this: _‘I loved sitting still, with no screens or technology – just your hands and your mind building something beautiful’?_ Was it Louise or Connor?”

Phil placed his thumb to his chin as he pondered the choices, and Dan smiled at him fondly, yet instantly remembering on the spot that they were on camera, and he quickly added in a sarcastic laugh, insisting that Phil was taking too long. Even though Dan himself wasn’t sure.

“I mean they’re both pretty deep, philosophical people…” Phil spoke his thoughts aloud, and Zoe nodded.

“It is tricky” she agreed, and Alfie nodded from beside Phil.

“I actually have no idea, it really could be any of them” he offered unhelpfully, and Dan remained silent, keeping his gaze anywhere but on Phil, despite it being where he wanted to be most.

“I’m going to go with… Louise” Phil decided eventually, and Zoe nodded cheerfully.

“Yep!” she confirmed, and Phil did a little cheer before looking over to Dan who was now the focus of the questions. Though Phil did have to make sure he didn’t let his gaze linger on Dan for too long, which was customary by now. Not that he thought Dan could tell.

“Okay Dan, here’s your quote: _‘Graduating college with zero prospects is simultaneously terrifying and freeing – on the one hand, I was embarrassed and poor and dreading my impending student-loan payments, and on the other hand, the possibilities of what I could do were endless’._ Was it Tyler or Joey? _”_

Dan remembered instantaneously that he had discovered both Tyler and Joey’s pasts, and they weren’t all that different. He had discussed in depth with them both at various YouTube events and also when Tyler had come over to stay with Dan and Phil from time to time, but Dan was none the wiser about who to pick.

“Do I get any lifelines?” he asked, deciding he needed to keep the video entertaining on his part, and not fully serious and dedicated to the game.

“Lifelines?” Alfie repeated, and Phil leaned forward, so he was able to be seen by Dan at the side of Alfie, and narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, if I don’t then you don’t!” he complained, and Alfie nodded towards Phil and shrugged.

“Them’s the rules” Alfie stated, and Dan sighed dramatically, prompting the other two to laugh.

“Okay, okay, is it Joey?” Dan made a decision, but as Zoe pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly, he hit his leg with his fist in fake anger and pouted whilst Alfie’s quote was being read out.

Phil couldn’t keep the smile from his lips, yet he managed to divert his gaze to the floor.

“Alright, Alf. Yours is a two-parter” Zoe revealed, and Alfie’s mouth dropped open, and Dan and Phil looked on in confusion.

“What do you mean a two parter?” Alfie asked, and Zoe tapped her nose as she began reading the quote.

“Okay, the quote is _‘I made sure to open the window and not look at anything on this car journey’._ Now why it’s a two-parter is because it’s either from one of my books, or Dan and Phil’s book. If you think it’s from one of my books, you have to specify which one, and if you think it’s from Dan and Phil’s then you have to specify which one of them wrote it” Zoe grinned devilishly as Alfie shot an emphatically panicked look to the camera, and Dan and Phil exchanged a relieved look that the camera definitely picked up. Those gifs would dominate tumblr.

Zoe had to repeat the quote a few times before Alfie guessed. “The thing is, your books are in the first person but Dan and Phil’s is like an autobiography…” Alfie voiced his thoughts, and Zoe laughed.

“Yes they’re similar, that’s why I picked them, genius” she sassed, and Dan stifled back a laugh of his own.

After a lot of ‘I’ll cut it down in editing’ excuses, Alfie came to a decision.

“I’m saying it’s from your book…” he pointed off-camera towards Zoe, who had her arms rested over the book in question.

“Why so?” she enquired.

“Because, in the second one, she goes on tour…” Alfie trailed off, shrugging to the camera.

“What gave it away, the title? You’ve not even read past the first chapter” Zoe laughed as she shook her head signalling Alfie got it wrong.

“Can you both remember who said it, your mind meld still in tune?” Zoe asked a few minutes later.

Dan and Phil locked eyes, for the benefit of the camera staring at each other and raising their eyebrows up and down, as though working out telekinesis.

“It was me, and can I have a bonus point if I tell you the context?” Phil raised his hand, and Zoe nodded.

“After we met One Direction” Phil provided the correct context for a bonus point, and Dan couldn’t help but smile widely at how happy Phil seemed to be, and he didn’t care if it was utterly obvious on film.

All the time in between reading out the quotes, Zoe was quietly observing, and picked up on every little glance that Dan and Phil shared, and she marvelled at the number of them, she was sure that they didn’t even notice they did it sometimes.

When Alfie was answering his questions, they would smile at each other, even if it was only for a second, and she found it fascinating. She found their relationship fascinating, and it made a smile rise on her pink glossed lips as she put everything into perspective.

\--

Three more quotes later, Alfie’s video was wrapped up, and both Zoe and Alfie were out taking Nala for a walk. Dan and Phil were in their rooms, Dan not so subtly pining after Phil and Phil not so subtly pining for Dan, separated by a wall though both of their hands were on either side. It seemed stupid, fairytale-esque and a vomit-inducing level of cliché, but that was just how they coped. In short, they struggled to.

It was around ten minutes later that there was a knock at Phil’s door, and Dan didn’t bother waiting for a response, just walked in and flopped down on Phil’s mattress beside him – causing Phil’s heart to race – and planted his face into the duvet.

“My room’s too bright. I can’t sleep it off in there. Yours is darker” he complained, voice muffled due to his position.

Phil fell into confusion, he was sure that Zoe had decorated every bedroom with identical style curtains, so why was Phil’s room so much better suited for sleep than Dan’s?

“You can stay here if you like” Phil offered, swallowing thickly as he processed the words back through his mind, revelling in the fact his voice didn’t crack.

Dan took no time into fidgeting into a more comfortable position, which involved him sharing the vacant half of Phil’s pillow and flicking the duvet over the both of them. Neither of them minded, it wouldn’t be the first time they’d shared a single bed, but both hearts were pounding as they rolled to face each other a few minutes later, not being able to hold their thoughts in for much longer and Dan not being able to follow through on his excuse and drift off to sleep.

They were so close that their knees were touching and their feet were brushing each another, hands only a centimetre or two away from one another. A slight blush was on both sets of cheeks, and small smiles accompanied them.

“Phil?” Dan asked for only the second time that day, and Phil nodded, “Our rooms are the same”

Phil’s mind went into overdrive. So Dan just came into his room for him, not for the darkness? He came for Phil and Phil alone? The thought was enough to make him positively giddy, and he showed it through a slight chuckle and a wider smile.

“I know” Phil whispered in response.

Their hands almost automatically entwined under the duvet, and it seemed almost natural, _right,_ that both of them moved their heads just that much closer to each other on the pillow, and just that tiny little bit closer…

So much so that Dan could notice Phil’s lips pucker in the slightest of ways, which would be unintelligible to anyone else other than the one that knows him best, and he allowed himself to do the same.

It was a slight brushing of lips, but Dan knew. Phil had just kissed him, even though it was the lightest of feather-light kisses, no movement, simply pressing one set of lips to another, but it was glorious, and it made Dan’s head spin that much more that it felt completely right. If anything, overdue.

But he felt a strong pain in his chest as Phil pulled away, almost to the complete opposite edge of the pillow, probably teetering off the edge of the mattress, and their hands broke apart as Phil slowly withdrew his hand back and clutched it to his chest.

Dan simply bit his lip as he waited for Phil to say something, frankly too scared to say something himself out of fear of his voice breaking. At least if he was silent he had a better chance of keeping the tears in.

Phil cleared his throat quietly and wiped his hand across his lips before he finally decided to speak, and his eyes looked duller than usual, duller than they did just a minute before, heavy with an emotion that Dan couldn’t decipher.

“Dan, I want to talk about last night”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoyoyoyoyoyoyo I KNOW THIS IS LONG OVERDUE, OKAY I KNOW
> 
> But uni has happened and writer's block has been persistent and i'm sorry you've had to wait so long (if anyone is even reading this anymore???) BUT I am currently super inspired to write it so the next chapter may not be that far away, who knows!
> 
> PLEASE KEEP SUGGESTING COLLAB IDEAS FOR THEIR CHANNELS, I'M STILL NOT FULLY DECIDED ON ANY OF THE OTHERS SO SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. 
> 
> As always, please let me know what you thought (especially about that last scene) and be sure to follow my phanfiction blog on tumblr (cafephan) and my phan account on twitter (hoppiphowell) as i'm trying to be more active on there and need more lovely mutuals :)
> 
> Thankyou for the ongoing support, means the world xxx


	11. Lucky Strike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is 5k words long, let me know if you like these longer chapters or if you want shorter ones yay
> 
> (please read the author's note at the end of the chapter, and read my latest oneshot Ripple okay bye)
> 
> Kudos and comments keep me writing!!

“Do we have to?” Dan complained as he stuck his head into his half of the pillow. He didn’t know why he was so reluctant to talk about it, since Phil was the one who asked Dan to kiss him, and _Phil_ was the one to initiate the kiss they just shared, the kiss Dan was still reeling from.

“I’d… I’d really like to” Phil insisted, the creaks from the bedframe indicating he was now sat upright.

Dan squeezed his eyes shut and hoped that the topic would drop. They’d kissed twice, now, and it was as euphoric as he’d imagined it to be, the last thing Dan needed was for Phil to tell him that it was a mistake, a regret, and for things to be awkward and cold between them.

“Dan” Phil poked him in the ribs with his hand that was still under the duvet, and Dan sighed before getting out of the bed and walking to the other side of the room, sitting on the stool at the desk/makeup table – whatever Zoe used it for.

Phil’s eyes were widened slightly at Dan’s hasty departure, and pressed his lips together as Dan looked on expectantly.

“I’m sure you remember what I asked of you” Phil began, and Dan scoffed.

“Yes Phil, I remember when you asked me to kiss you” Dan clarified, mainly to see the reaction that the recollection would prompt for Phil. He was surprised to see Phil only nod, his expression not change at all.

“Yeah… The thing is I want to talk about that, I don’t want you to think that I assumed you wanted to kiss me or that it was okay in any way, but I just…”

“Get to the point” Dan interjected, simply terrified as to what the end of Phil’s sentence would’ve been.

“Basically this guy kind of took a liking to me and was very… persistent, if you get what I mean” Phil gulped, and Dan balled his fists behind his back. The very thought made anger bubble in the pit of his stomach.

“Right…” he encouraged Phil to continue, still managing to keep his anger under wraps.

“And to get him to leave I said that you and I were together, only he didn’t believe me”

Dan felt the anger subside, to be replaced by underlying disappointment. It didn’t mean anything to Phil, really, just a way to get this other guy off his back.

“So you asked me to kiss you to make it more believable” Dan finished for him, and Phil nodded.

“Exactly. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, I just didn’t know what else to do” Phil apologised, clutching the duvet in his hands, out of both nerves and embarrassment. He felt weak, he should’ve held his ground with the guy rather than dragging Dan into it. He’d probably wrecked things between them forever, now. Friends don’t go around kissing one another – this had happened _twice_ now, though he put the second one a few minutes prior down to impulse – and with his newfound feelings that he was more than certain weren’t reciprocated, he definitely went too in-depth with the over-description of how the kiss meant nothing. Even though he enjoyed it far too much, it was probably the only time he’d ever get to kiss Dan with such emotion and such passion, and, given the consequences it happened for, he probably shouldn’t have lingered on Dan’s lips for as long as he did. He saw the guy leave at least ten seconds before they stopped kissing. He just wanted it to last as long as he could make it.

“It’s fine, Phil” Dan assured him, before standing up and exiting the room, closing the door quietly behind him, leaving a frowning Phil to exhale in frustration.

Not really feeling the need to nap anymore, Dan padded downstairs. Nala immediately launched herself at his feet as soon as he closed the babygate behind him to enter the living room, and he stroked her head before walking into the vacant kitchen. The cozy room was empty too, and with Alfie’s old office room being a storage room now, he was seemingly alone downstairs, except for the pug who was doing hyper laps of the living room. His blood ran cold as he realised that, in order for Nala to be home, Zoe and Alfie must have returned too, ignoring that they’d evidently left again. They could’ve heard his and Phil’s entire conversation.

He had just finished a bowl of Zoe’s Golden Grahams when he heard the front door open and close, and the quiet murmurs of conversation that soon entered the living room.

“I told you one of them would be awake!” Alfie exclaimed in Zoe’s face, and she reluctantly handed him a pound coin and sighed dramatically, walking into the kitchen, loaded down with shopping bags.

“Hope this one didn’t wake you up, she can get restless if none of us are here and she’s not in her pen” Alfie excused, and Dan waved off his concern. He had more pressing matters on his mind.

“So, when did you two get back before? I didn’t hear you” he stopped himself from adding ‘because I was preoccupied talking with Phil about the two times we’ve kissed’.

“We just popped back for a second to drop Nala off, then we went straight to the shops” Alfie explained, and Dan sighed inwardly in relief. Their secret was still their secret.

“We had to get the ingredients!” Zoe called cheerfully from the kitchen.

“Ingredients?” Dan enquired, as he placed his empty cereal bowl in the sink to wash in a minute.

“Yep! I’ve decided for our collab that we’ll bake!” Zoe told him gleefully, clapping her hands together.

“Baking? Me and Phil? You’ve seen our attempts at it, right?” Dan asked in disbelief, and Zoe chuckled, leaning on the counter opposite Dan.

“Oh, indeed I have. In fact, I’m incorporating your infamous Easter nests. Minus the extreme, though. We’re not that crazy over here on Zoella” she joked, and Dan joined in with the laughter before agreeing. He had tasted Zoe’s baking before, she had insisted upon it, and anything she made was pretty much guaranteed to be delicious. As long as he and Phil had as little to do with it as possible, that is.

“Pre-filming for Easter, it’s not that far away, right?” Zoe pondered, placing a finger to her chin.

“Only a matter of weeks” Dan confirmed, and Zoe high-fived him before turning back to put away the rest of the ingredients, they would be making more than one thing, apparently.

Dan just hoped his and Phil’s probable hostility wouldn’t show up on camera, for everybody’s sake.

\--

The next morning, Dan and Phil awoke to a full breakfast courtesy of Zoe, who was getting into the cooking/baking mood early. Alfie was away in London for meetings, and Zoe didn’t know when he’d be back.

“So what is it we’re making?” Phil asked after a mouthful of waffle. He was only briefed vaguely of the collab the night before, that it was some form of Easter baking.

“Easter nests – your specialty, crème egg cupcakes, marshmallow squares, crème egg pastries, Easter rocky road and pastel meringues” Zoe reeled off on her fingers, and Phil nodded in excitement.

“We should probably start straight after breakfast, so the lighting stays decent” she suggested, and both Dan and Phil agreed with a thumbs up, and polished off their breakfasts quickly and helped Zoe clear the table.

The camera was set up a few minutes later after careful deliberation over which angle would be best for most of the shots, and how close ups would be shot, with there being three of them in the video. They agreed to just cross the bridge when they came to it.

“Ready?” Zoe asked them, as she stood in the middle, and after both replies of ‘ready’ she pressed the record button on the camera remote.

“Hello everyone! Today I’m going to be showing you six very quick and very easy Easter treats. But what makes this video more exciting is my two very special guests! Please, introduce yourselves” Zoe gestured to the camera.

“It’s us!” Dan and Phil said in sync (scripted in at the very last second) and Zoe laughed.

“It’s Dan and Phil! Welcome to my channel, I love you both very much” Zoe placed a hand under each of their chins and all three of them grinned widely.

“So, what are we making first?” Phil asked, clasping his hands together, licking his lips towards the camera.

“First we’ll be making pastel meringues, which are perfect for bitesize Easter treats. Let’s go!” Zoe smiled to the camera then made a reminder for future self to ‘edit this bit out’ as she walked over to gather the pre-prepared ingredients and brought them over to the table.

“How is this going to work? Are we going to read you the recipe or do you know them all off by heart?” Dan asked.

“I probably do, but it won’t hurt to triple check. I’ll be doing voiceovers for all the recipes anyway so it’s fine if you don’t want to be particularly entertaining whilst you do it”

Dan feigned offence, and placed a hand to his chest.

“Zoe Sugg, are you saying I have to try to be entertaining? I am a natural born performer, I’ll have you know!”

“Yeah your childhood performance of Santa in your school Christmas pantomime was enthralling, I’ll never be able to thank your grandma enough for showing me the video of it” Phil grinned, and Dan rubbed a hand down his face in embarrassment as Zoe continued to grin, though looking down at the ingredients. She felt as if she knew something the both of them didn’t want to admit – for a reason she didn’t know.

“I’m keeping that in” she informed them, and both of them groaned dramatically for comedic effect, and Zoe mocked them before beginning the baking and dishing out their roles.

\--

Camera banter and lots of baking later, the three smiled down at their creations, commenting they had made ‘baking babies’ to which Dan shook his head in sarcastic disapproval and deemed it inappropriate for a younger audience, which Zoe found hilarious.

“There’s not much we can do until the chocolate and stuff cools” she commented, wiping a tear from her eye. The three had been joking so much that they had turned hysterical, crying from their laughter and nearly keeling over.

“Do you want to head into town for a while? By the time we get back we should be able to finish everything” Zoe suggested, and after a unanimous agreement bid temporary farewell to the camera and switched it off.

Dan couldn’t hide his smile as they began their short car journey into the main part of Brighton. Since he arrived, he’d been dying to see the tourist side, the seaside attractions and whatnot. He rested his hands on his knees, his arm leaning against his wallet, which was filled to the brim with coins for the arcades.

Beside him, Phil was silent, and didn’t even look at Dan once. On camera just a few minutes before, he was his usual bubbly self, but was now a direct contrast. However, he still replied to Zoe in a cheerful tone, and smiled back at her when she looked at the two through the front mirror.

Dan pushed the thoughts to one side and looked out of the window, smiling at the coloured Brighton houses and the sun rays and sea air that whipped through his hair when Zoe removed the sun-roof.

He missed Phil’s fond stare as he watched Dan marvel at his surroundings, seemingly genuinely content. He also missed Phil’s soft sigh at thinking what they could be if he hadn’t have screwed it all up with the guy at the club, the conversation they could have had and what it could have led to.

But Phil remained silent, because he liked when Dan was happy. Even if it meant Phil wasn’t.

\--

“Out and onwards we go!” Zoe sang once she had returned with the car park ticket and placed it on the dashboard.

Dan and Phil got out of the car and immediately, the atmosphere seemed harsher for some reason.

They followed Zoe out of the car park and stuck to her navigation of the tight side-streets, until they eventually ended up in a marketplace, rows of stalls boasting bright coloured banners to interest passers-by in their wares.

“Just a little further,” Zoe called from the front, and powered through the crowds of people perusing the stalls. Dan and Phil both shot sneaky glances to every stall they could as they passed, Dan pouting slightly when they passed a donut stall.

“Oh, prepare for viewers, there are usually a fair few, so get your smiles on” Zoe told them with a wink before picking up the pace, causing Dan and Phil to do the same as to not lose her.

They still hadn’t exchanged a word since filming, and even then it seemed artificial. It was scripted, after all.

Almost immediately after they turned the corner, a group of teenagers ran up to them, squealing and giggling amongst themselves, each loading up the camera on their phones and excitedly asking for selfies.

Zoe was a natural, immediately fell into a flawless picture-perfect smile. It wasn’t that Dan and Phil weren’t used to viewers asking for pictures, it was just that it usually happened at YouTube events, very rarely during their leisure time, it was quite odd.

It took around five minutes for each teenager to get all their desired selfies, and they thanked the three in a gaggle of tearful appreciation then scurried around the corner, presumably to tweet the selfies straight away, inform their followers of Dan, Phil and Zoe’s whereabouts. It was to be expected, though, as Zoe had told them.

Phil noticed that Dan’s smile wasn’t genuine, after nearly seven years of friendship, he could tell. He would even be able to tell through a pixelated Skype call. Because Dan’s eyes didn’t light up when he smiled, and his dimple didn’t pop at all.

Phil wondered why, he didn’t like Dan feeling anything but happy.

Dan noticed Phil’s flicking gaze, between the selfie taking. As soon as a picture was taken, Phil would either look towards the houses around them or down at the ground, a slight frown on his face, which was eradicated as soon as the next viewer jumped next to him and asked for a specific pose. And the frown reappeared straight after.

Dan wondered why, he didn’t like Phil feeling anything but happy and cheerful.

“You’ve got to love it, haven’t you?” Zoe asked with a fond smile as they turned another corner, into a square with high street shops lining its borders.

“It’s still so surreal” Phil stated in disbelief, running a hand through his hair, and Zoe agreed. Dan remained silent, walking with his hands in his coat pockets.

As soon as they set foot on the stone of the square, a pair of teenage girls eagerly ran up to them, phones clutched in hands, which Phil could see were already loaded with the camera app.

“Could we please get some pictures?” an auburn-haired girl asked them, and the three smiled and nodded, the girl turning to her friend in glee.

“I love your hair and makeup!” Zoe complimented both the girls, who gushed at her compliment.

Dan envied Zoe’s social skills. It wasn’t that he was incapable of social interaction, it just took him a while to feel comfortable enough to be chatty, whereas Zoe was evidently able to chat with anyone as if they were her best friend at the tip of a hat.

Phil was the same, already engaged in conversation with the other girl, a blonde wearing YouTube merch.

Dan felt incredibly awkward at the ratio, that he had nothing to do but wait for Phil or Zoe to finish so he could get his picture out of the way – his rumbling stomach only worsening the situation.

“Um, Dan?” Zoe’s voice snapped him out of his food daydream, and back into reality, one of the girls stood in front of him, holding out her phone. He apologised and took the phone from her, snapping a selfie.

Beside him, Phil smiled at seeing the scene in his peripheral vision, he always did when Dan tuned out of the world for a minute or two. He was fascinated with what went on in Dan’s mind, and often wished he could find out for himself. But it was a topic saved only for their 3am existentially motivated conversations.

“Can I ask what the whole hashtag war is about? Everyone’s so confused” the blonde asked after taking her picture with Zoe.

Zoe burst into laughter, then said she made a mental note to tweet about it again later, as it would end tonight, the dinner being the next night.

“We’re all cheap as hell and don’t want to pay for an expensive meal” Dan explained with a casual shrug, prompting the girls into giggles, Zoe and Phil nodding and shrugging in agreement.

“We’ve tweeted both, just so you know” the auburn-haired girl gushed, as if it was a secret she just couldn’t keep to herself anymore.

“Good to know you haven’t pledged allegiance” Phil joked, and the girls both shook their heads erratically, stating that they wouldn’t even dream of it.

After a farewell they parted ways with the viewers, Dan begging to get some food and Zoe clapping her hands together in relief that Dan had suggested it, as she was starving too. Phil just agreed, not too bothered either way.

Zoe led them to one of her favourite cafes, bagging a table away from the window for added privacy. Phil still sat beside Dan, which made the brunet smile slightly, not having gone unnoticed by Zoe, who smiled to herself behind her menu.

Once they had all decided on what to order, Phil offered to go to the counter and order for everyone, which the other two thanked him for.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Zoe slammed her menu down and yanked Dan’s from his hands.

“Talk to me, Dan. What’s wrong? You’re not yourself” she seemed genuinely concerned, as she always did, and it too made Dan smile. But not enough to replace the frown that he regained after shooting a wistful gaze over at Phil.

Zoe followed his line of focus.

“It’s Phil, isn’t it” she guessed, though not in an accusatory tone at all.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about” Dan gulped, pleading internally with himself for a lump not to form in his throat.

Zoe raised an eyebrow.

“Dan, you remember all that we spoke about on the beach, right?” she asked, and Dan began playing with his fingers nervously under the table.

His silence prompted Zoe to continue.

“And you remember what you told me, about Phil?”

Dan’s head shot up and met Zoe’s gaze, desperately racking his brain trying to remember what exactly it was that he _did_ say, he could happily waffle on about Phil for hours.

“I-“ Dan attempted to reply, a crack in his voice stopping him and causing his eyes to widen in embarrassment. Yet Zoe didn’t laugh, or even crack a smile at it. If anything, she looked as if she understood something that Dan didn’t.

“Dan, I really think you need to-“

“All ordered!” Phil exclaimed chirpily as he sat back down at the table, placing three mugs of hot chocolate in front of each of them.

Zoe’s gaze lingered on Dan for a second longer, then thanked Phil with a smile and took a sip of her hot chocolate, launching into conversation about potential collabs they could still film.

Dan, again, remained silent until he no longer felt the need to cry, and the lump in his throat disappeared. Zoe still sparingly shot him sympathetic glances, all of which made Dan wonder even more:

_What the hell did he say about Phil that day?_

\--

“I’m so excited for this” Dan claimed enthusiastically as Zoe led them onto the pier an hour or so later. The loose change that had slipped out of his wallet jangled around in his pocket as he strode into the arcade, feeling his worries and doubts slowly start to leave the forefront of his mind as he grinned at the fluorescent lights and obnoxious arcade music.

At first glance, with the way Dan was in awe of the arcade with a glint of determination prominent in his eyes, it would probably look as if he had some sort of gambling problem.

But, as Phil knew all too well, Dan didn’t have a gambling problem. Dan just really _really_ liked 2p machines. Thrived on them. He had begged Phil probably over a hundred times since they lived together to buy a retro 2p machine for the flat, but it had to be an investment together, a cheap, tacky one wouldn’t do. Thankfully, he usually let the idea go after a while.

Dan didn’t move for about twenty seconds, just stood still analysing the arcade, scoping out his method of attack. Which prizes he wanted, the distance in which each potential machine was to the change vestibules - because it was inevitable he would run out of 2p’s before he was satisfied with his amount of prizes he had.

To Phil and Zoe, it seemed only a second between Dan standing still, frozen in front of them, and then at a distant slot machine, one hand rested on the glass and the other above the slot, ready to drop his two pence into when the timing was just right. He was biting his lip in determination, which Zoe giggled at, and gave a chill down Phil’s spine.

“Are you not going to go on anything?” Zoe asked him, and Phil shrugged.

“I guess eventually, but this is really Dan’s scene more than it is mine” he admitted, and Zoe nodded in understanding, then took Phil’s arm and began dragging him towards the back of the arcade.

“Sugg versus Lester, sudden death, all to play for” she pitched the idea as she slammed a hand down on the air-hockey table.

“What exactly are we playing for?” Phil asked with a chuckle, and Zoe diverted her gaze momentarily to the ceiling as she pondered a prize.

“Ten pounds, for use only in this arcade. As well as eternal glory, of course” she dug a ten pound note out of her purse and placed it on the edge of the air-hockey table, laying down the stakes. Phil retrieved a crumpled ten-pound note from his pocket and placed it on his end of the table, and then Zoe stuck out her hand.

“It’s sportsmanship, so I’ve heard” she whispered the last part, which made Phil laugh as he shook her hand.

Once Zoe had slipped the coins into the slot and the overhead scoreboards from the previous game cleared, and air began blowing from the table, Zoe put on her game face.

“You’re going down, Lester”

Ignoring his instinctive response which was neither appropriate nor keeping his secret to himself, he simply smirked and picked up his puck.

“Oh it’s _on,_ Sugg”

\--

Dan struggled to keep all his prizes to himself as he stumbled over to the change vestibule, slipping a twenty pound note into the machine and feeling a childlike wonder at hearing the two pence coins begin pouring out of it.

As he attempted to place his coin tub under the machine to catch the two pence pieces, five of his _Looney Tunes_ figures prizes slipped out of his pocket, and went bouncing in the opposite direction, the lids popping off and the figures slipping out.

“Oh fuck” Dan grumbled to himself as he darted to grab them all before anyone else could nab them, he would even take on a child to get them back. He took his arcades extremely seriously.

He dashed back to the change vestibule just in time for the transaction to complete and the coins to stop pouring out. He scraped the loose ones into his tub and used his free hand to cup around his pocket to stop the figures escaping again, stumbling to his next machine, which centred around Pac-Man.

When the free half of the seat was filled beside him, he was about to complain, but upon seeing the pug patterned shopping bag, he sighed in relief.

“So, how are we doing?” Zoe asked cheerfully, slipping a few of her own 2p’s into Dan’s machine. Which, on this particular type of slot machine, he didn’t mind. Rapidfire was what got the best results.

“I keep losing my prizes, my pockets aren’t big enough” Dan complained, far too entranced by the machine in front of him.

“How many do you have?” she asked with a giggle, “here, put them in my bag. They won’t fall out that way”

She opened her bag and Dan scooped his figures into it, thanking Zoe profusely, and Zoe laughing hysterically at how Dan took arcades so seriously.

“Listen, I don’t think you’re going to win much on this, someone won the jackpot about three minutes ago” Zoe informed him, and Dan immediately stopped dropping his coins into the slots, and returned them to the tub. “Your best bet are the Skittles ones on the back wall, they fill those hourly” she spoke as if informing him of a top-secret classified mission. But Dan trusted her, with Zoe living in Brighton and all.

“Thanks for the intel, Agent Sugg” Dan mock-saluted, and Zoe returned it before walking off towards the grabber machines, stating she wanted to win a stuffed toy to take home for Nala.

Dan made his way over to the Skittles machines as per Zoe’s suggestion, and found Phil already playing on them, failing miserably.

“It’s like they make it freaking impossible to get it on the yellow lines” he huffed in frustration as Dan placed his coin tub down, picking up his first coin.

“Watch how the professional does it” he spoke with an exaggerated posh, snooty accent, and Phil stopped to watch.

Sure enough, Dan’s first coin was angled perfectly, and stopped right in the middle of a yellow line, which corresponded to the fifty pence Skittle. Fifty pence worth of 2p’s slipped down the glass, which Dan placed in his tub, turning to face Phil with a smirk.

“How do you even do that? It must be my machine, it must be faulty” Phil complained with a pout, and placed his arms across his chest.

“Then try it on mine, you just saw that it’s possible to win on mine” Dan offered, stepping back so Phil could take his place.

After twenty pence worth of 2p’s were spent on the machine, and losing every time, Phil huffed in frustration and turned to Dan. Phil was slightly red-faced, it was obvious even under the intense, dark arcade lighting, and Dan found it hilarious.

It was the easiest they’d gotten along all day, the most they’d spoken.

“Here, I’ll show you” Dan said after he calmed down laughing, and placed his hand on the coin slot, angling it slightly to the right. “Try it now” he prompted. Phil lost again.

“See what I mean?” Phil asked, getting visibly frustrated by this point, which only spurred Dan’s laughter on more.

“It’s because you’re moving the slot when you put your coin in” Dan informed him, and angled the slot back to where it was originally. As he did, his fingers brushed against Phil’s hand, and Dan felt his cheeks heat up. He did his best to not make it obvious, and carried on as he would.

“Now drop the coin, but don’t move it this time” he prompted, and Phil nodded silently before dropping the coin, it landing right on the borderline between a yellow and black line.

“I’m beginning to think the universe just hates me” Phil groaned, and Dan chuckled.

“Don’t be stupid, just try again. I’ll hold you this time just to make sure” he didn’t spend any time contemplating on how his words could be construed. He just angled the slot yet again and held it still as Phil hovered the coin over it, and pressed his thumb to Phil’s hand as he released the coin, keeping the slot still. His cheeks were on fire, and he tried to push it to the back of his mind, putting all his focus onto watching the coin roll along the lines.

The coin landed directly in the middle of the yellow line corresponding to the fifty pence Skittle, as Dan had achieved earlier. Phil cheered loudly, earning confused glances from people around them, but Dan just laughed and applauded Phil, to which he bowed.

“All that for fifty pence” Phil shook his head in disbelief, dropping his winnings into his coin tub.

“Fifty pence you earned, and could spend on winning a Tweety-Pie figurine” Dan suggested, and Phil shuddered dramatically.

“Nah, too many _Can Your Pet_ flashbacks”

“That is true” Dan concurred, and the two shared a much-needed laugh.

“Could I talk to you alone for a minute?” Phil asked a few seconds later.

“We’re alone now… Zoe is on the grabbing machines somewhere back there” Dan pointed behind himself, and Phil shook his head.

“No, I mean _alone_ , alone” he nodded subtly towards the various groups of people surrounding them, happily on the slot machines and arcade games.

Dan nodded in understanding and followed Phil, who led them into the toilets. The room was barely bigger than a pantry, and the two struggled to stand between the sinks and cubicles, the space ridiculously tiny.

“We’ll have to go into one of the cubicles” Phil stated, and Dan felt his breath catch in his throat. It was all innocent, Phil’s suggestion, but Dan had seen enough cheesy movies and tv shows to know one possibility of hundreds that could happen when two people lock themselves in a toilet cubicle. Admittedly, not all bathrooms in the movies and shows are as small as the arcade bathroom they were in, so the consequences were different.

Once they were locked inside the cubicle, their knees were mere centimetres from knocking together. Dan fought the urge to speak, as his throat still felt dry with anticipation, and feared how his voice would speak.

“I just wanted to apologise again, for the other night” Phil began the conversation, looking down at his shoes. “I know I probably made you uncomfortable yesterday, too, since it was so badly timed and-“

“It’s fine, honestly. Consider it forgotten” Dan interrupted, knowing that Phil could babble just as much as Dan could himself.

Phil bit his lip as he evidently thought of what to say next, and Dan looked down at his own shoes, Phil’s lip biting never did his growing feelings any good, it only made the want to kiss Phil even worse.

“There was one more thing, but” Phil began again, cutting himself off.

“But what?” Dan asked, encouraging him to continue.

“It might be the wrong time”

“We’re literally standing in a toilet cubicle in a tiny grubby bathroom in an arcade, I don’t think there’s anything you could say to make this any worse” Dan stated sarcastically, and Phil smiled.

“So what is it?” Dan asked upon Phil not replying previously.

“This” Phil replied quickly, before leaning forward, closing the centimetre gap and pressing his lips to Dan’s gently, feather-light again. It seemed to be over in a second, yet left Dan’s lips tingling, desperate for more.

_Third time lucky,_ Dan silently prayed to every religious icon he could think of.

“Oh god, I shouldn’t have done that should I? Dan, I- oh fuck,” Phil gushed, running a hand through his hair in panic, “please don’t freak out on me, we can just pretend it never happened, you know? We can just go back to how we were, why the hell did I do that”

Dan grinned before leaning in himself, placing his hands on Phil’s face to pull him even closer, being easily the most meaningful kiss so far.

“You definitely should have done that sooner” Dan whispered once they broke apart, and Phil’s lips were still parted.

“Then please, _please_ let me make up for lost time” Phil pleaded before kissing Dan yet again, this time with more passion, wrapping his arms around Dan’s neck, in turn pushing him against the cubicle wall, causing the structure to shake. Of course it was cheap construction.

It made Dan smile to himself once they broke apart again, how, in the cases he’s read and seen of similar situations, the couple have a full frontal makeout session. But he and Phil were having approximately ten-second long kisses then breaking apart, and going back in again for another. They never did anything conventional, they never had.

“I hate that this happened in a bloody toilet cubicle” Phil chuckled as he spoke against Dan’s neck, placing a soft kiss where his breath fanned over the olive-tinted skin.

“Better here than at Zoe and Alfie’s, less explaining this way” Dan replied, and Phil shrugged in agreement.

After a twenty-second kiss (not that Phil was counting, not at all) they stood at opposite ends of the cubicle – which was barely any further apart than when they kissed – with their arms dangling helplessly by their sides, neither sure of what to do.

“I spoke to Zoe about this” Dan spoke quietly a few seconds later, gesturing to himself and Phil, and Phil cocked his head to the side.

“And what did you say, exactly?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She helped me realise exactly what I’d been refusing to admit I’ve felt for about seven years” Dan mumbled, looking down at his shoes, frankly embarrassed he was revealing it.

“Funny, I had a similar conversation with Alfie” Phil replied, and Dan’s head shot back up and cocked to the side as Phil’s had just before.

“So that was what the ‘enlightening conversation’ was that you both tweeted?” Dan asked, and Phil grinned.

“It very well may have been”

A thirty-second long kiss. Dan counted in his head. It was their personal record so far. Though his back was beginning to ache from leaning against the cubicle wall, the long awaited feeling of Phil’s lips on his was worth the pain.

When they broke apart this time, their hands remained interlocked.

“You know, it’s so stupid to think it took nearly seven years for this to happen, it never even happened all the times when we’ve been drunk out of our minds” Dan pondered, and Phil laughed.

“And there have been a fair few of those. Can you imagine what people would say if they knew this happened? ‘So you two finally kissed? When’s the wedding? Will it be Howell-Lester or Lester-Howell?’” Phil adopted a high-pitched voice, which sent Dan into hysterics.

However, they were cut short during the kiss that followed a second later as the cubicle beside them opened, and footsteps made the (single step) journey to the sinks.

They remained as still as possible, trying not to even breathe, as they listened to the water run and then the hand-dryer, and eventually the door to the toilets swinging shut, leaving the two alone again.

Dan and Phil looked at each other with wide-eyed stares of horror, their hands breaking apart and cupping their mouths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dan's enthusiasm about the arcade may be a tad autobiographical okay I just bloody love them I could spend my life in arcades on 2p machines (especially the Skittle ones)
> 
> But, in other news, THE NEW CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE YAY, I finalllllyyyyyy gave you guys what you've been begging me for since about four chapters ago, a fully fledged kiss/makeout session, you're all very welcome 
> 
> Also, this might make you smile, since I want my latest oneshot Ripple (that I spent six months writing and posted a few weeks ago) to get as much exposure as possible i'm not focussing on oneshots much and putting my phanfic efforts into Brighton Bound so chapters MAY be closer than you thinkkkkk :)
> 
> As always, please let me know what you thought in the comments, leave a kudos if you haven't already, and follow my social media; tumblr (cafephan), twitter (cosyphiI - the 'l' is a capital i) 
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter and i'm looking forward to chatting with you all in the comments xx


	12. We Know What You Did Last Night

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Dan. He was sure there was some kind of bullshit excuse to Zoe when they met up with her again in the arcade, and a few stolen glances and secretive smiles over dinner that night. Nothing he could be sure of, his mind was set on replaying, reliving.

The morning after, he awoke already smiling, so widely he wondered if he’d slept with a coathanger in his mouth, and he snuggled deeper into his duvet as he recalled just what had happened. Again. Cliché as it was, he dreamt about it, so vividly he couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was still in a dreamy haze.

After forcing himself to get out of bed and get dressed, he took a deep breath before opening the door and walking out onto the landing, his late-timing (Zoe had texted him letting him know breakfast was cooking) finally worked in his favour, as Phil was leaving his room at the exact same time.

Dan couldn’t remember the last thing they said to each other.

“Good morning,” he greeted civilly, not certain whether or not they should be having ‘that conversation’ yet, or even hint towards it.

“Morning,” Phil repeated with a smile.

They stood on the landing for a couple of seconds, staring at each other, before Phil stepped forward and pressed a quick, soft kiss on Dan’s lips, then made his way downstairs, making sure to wink at Dan as he did so.

The whole thing caused Dan to stagger backwards a step, and contemplate. Could they just _do_ that now?

He hoped so.

\--

“Something smells good over here!” Phil stated chirpily as he entered the kitchen, and Zoe turned around from the oven to greet him, temporarily leaving Alfie in charge of the cooking.

“There’s enough to feed a small army, so I hope you’re hungry!” she smiled widely and greeted her friend with a hug.

Phil opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by another arrival.

“Good morning, party people!” Dan sang as he entered the kitchen, facial expressions bright and voice enthusiastic.

“Party people?” Zoe questioned, raising an eyebrow and letting out a laugh.

“Listen. We’re on holiday, technically,” he threw an arm around Phil’s shoulders, “so it’s like a long party for us, you know?”

Zoe pressed her lips together in an attempt to supress a smile, and shrugged. “I guess, if that’s the way you want to look at it.”

Both Dan and Phil missed the look and more-than-knowing smile that Zoe and Alfie exchanged.

“Should we really be eating this much?” Alfie asked once Zoe took back over the cooking, “I mean, we have that fancy meal tonight that these two are paying for, so…”

“Hold up,” Dan held up a hand, “I believe if you check the social medias, we’re actually-“

“Losing” Phil interjected as he looked up from his phone, cutting Dan short before his speech which would likely be gloating.

“Oh” Dan dropped his hand dramatically and pouted, before retrieving his phone and swiping onto the camera app.

“This ends in a few hours, drastic times and drastic measures” he announced before taking a selfie of the two of them frowning and wide-eyed, hastily pasting it into a tweet, Instagram and tumblr post.

_@danisnotonfire: help @Zoella and @PointlessBlog are starving us at #unaestheticzalfiepad they’re taking this way too far [photo link]_

_@AmazingPhil: I had to eat a lettuce leaf I found under the guinea pigs’ cage RT: @danisnotonfire: help @Zoella and @PointlessBlog are starving us at #unaestheticzalfiepad they’re taking this way too far [photo link]_

Immediately, their mentions were filled with confused viewers that still didn’t have a clue about the purpose of the hashtag war, Phil supposed that the viewers they met in town a couple of days prior didn’t spread the news wide enough.

“A lettuce leaf from under the guinea pigs’ cage?” Alfie asked with a chuckle as he saw Phil’s tweet, and Phil shrugged.

“I was under pressure, it was the first thing that came to my mind!” Phil defended.

“Enough squabbling boys, we can settle this after breakfast because I’ve been slaving over this for far too long to let it go to waste” Zoe commented as she began dishing up each of their breakfasts, sending a discreet wink to Alfie, who nodded.

_@PointlessBlog: #datpuglifeftdanandphil_

Neither Dan nor Phil noticed the tweet notification as they were too busy collecting their plates, leaving all four of them unaware of whose hashtag was getting the most love in the final stretch.

\--

“So how many prizes did you end up winning at the arcade yesterday, Dan?” Zoe asked innocently once they were all tucking into their food.

“More than I needed, that’s for sure. I might have to leave some stuff here just to fit all of the bloody things in my cases” he laughed, and Zoe grinned.

“Yeah, I had to carry them all in my bag, they really weighed down after a while” she dipped her head and her gaze was down at her plate, and Dan felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He should’ve been a gentleman and carried his own stuff.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry Zoe, I-“

He was cut off by Zoe’s hysterical giggles as she lifted her head and gaze back up.

“I’m only messing with you Dan, don’t worry. They were only tiny action figures! They were practically light as air” she assured him, and he sighed in relief. He really fell for that tease.

“Did you win anything, Phil?” Alfie asked politely, and Phil shook his head.

“I’m not really into competitive arcade gaming like this guy,” he nodded to Dan beside him, “I was just there as an observer, mainly.”

Alfie nodded in understanding.

“So the whole outing was kind of uneventful for you?” his voice changed slightly upon delivering the question compared to the last, Phil wondered why.

He noticed Zoe cover her mouth fully with her hand, and her eyes squinted for a couple of seconds. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dan giving the couple a curious glance over, too.

Truth be told, it was a very eventful outing. Obviously. But did he really want to spill all that before he and Dan had a chance to talk about it themselves? It was a good sign that Dan evidently didn’t hate the quick, testing kiss Phil gave him earlier, but it wasn’t telling enough.

“I mean, I guess so? But it was nice to spend time with a friend I don’t see often enough, so that was more than enough for me” he replied warmly, shooting a smile at Zoe, and she aww’d.

There was around thirty seconds of pleasant silence, everyone focusing entirely on their food. Phil continued to wonder why Zoe and Alfie both acted weirdly when Alfie asked the second question, but he tried not to read too much into it. He was a natural over-thinker.

It took both of them by surprise, so much so that it sent their cutlery clattering against their plates, when Alfie spoke up again.

“So when were you planning on telling us about getting it on in the arcade toilets?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is probably the shortest one so far but it's also arguably the most pivotal, Zoe and Alfie know and have told Dan and Phil that they know, no more secrecy! (but confusion, how could they possibly have known what happened in the arcade HM THE MIND BOGGLES) (( i'm the biggest conspirator for my own fic ))
> 
> But yeah I know it's been a while since I updated this, I apologise, I kind of lost direction with it and wasn't sure I was taking the storyline where I wanted it to go, so I left it a while and came back to it with a clear mind, i'm back now :)
> 
> As always, share the fic if you like it, leave your thoughts below, and thank you so much for your continued support!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr (cafephan) and twitter (bloggerhowell) to chat with me some more, i'm always down to talk about my own writing it's quite sad tbh
> 
> xx


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